After the 2026 FIFA World Cup concluded, the Ballon d'Or officially posted a response to the question, "Can one win the Ballon d'Or without winning the FIFA World Cup?"
The full official statement from the Ballon d'Or is as follows:
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has come to an end, and now everything has settled. In this tournament, there is no room for error; top players must step up at critical moments to lead their teams all the way to the end. Such performances will naturally enhance their competitiveness in the next Ballon d'Or selection. However, to win the most prestigious individual award in football (the Ballon d'Or), is it truly necessary to first win the FIFA World Cup?
To find the answer, we consulted relevant data. Bobby Charlton in 1966, Paolo Rossi in 1982, and Matthäus in 1990 all achieved the "double crown" of FIFA World Cup champion and Ballon d'Or in the same year.
However, the data that is truly significant and more applicable to the current era starts from 1995. That year, the Ballon d'Or officially opened to players worldwide, no longer limited to European players.
Only a 57% success rate!
In 1998, Zidane led the French team to win the FIFA World Cup on home soil with almost no suspense, and subsequently lifted the Ballon d'Or.
Four years later, in 2002, Ronaldo replicated this feat, successfully being crowned with the Ballon d'Or after helping Brazil win.
In 2006, Italian defender Cannavaro also achieved the "double harvest" of FIFA World Cup champion + Ballon d'Or.
However, this pattern ended there.
In 2010, despite Spain winning the FIFA World Cup, Messi, who performed exceptionally well at Barcelona, ultimately surpassed FIFA World Cup winning members Iniesta and Xavi to win the Ballon d'Or.
In 2014, Ronaldo also defeated FIFA World Cup runner-up Messi and German FIFA World Cup winning goalkeeper Neuer in a similar fashion, successfully lifting the trophy.
In 2018, Modric, who led Croatia to the FIFA World Cup final, ultimately ranked first, ahead of Ronaldo and French FIFA World Cup winning member Griezmann — the latter also being the highest-ranked player from the 2018 FIFA World Cup winning squad.
Therefore, it wasn't until the winter FIFA World Cup in 2022 that a FIFA World Cup winning player once again successfully claimed the Ballon d'Or in the following year. Messi led Argentina to win the FIFA World Cup and ultimately won the 2023 Ballon d'Or.
To date, seven players in history have achieved the "double crown" of FIFA World Cup champion and Ballon d'Or. But since 1995, only 4 FIFA World Cup winners have successfully won the Ballon d'Or, a success rate of only 57%.
It is clear that winning the FIFA World Cup significantly increases one's chances of contending for the Ballon d'Or, but it is by no means a decisive factor. To lift the Ballon d'Or, you must be the best performing player throughout the entire season, not just the best performer during the FIFA World Cup.
AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com
memacdeilz
29
haaland win every thing just because of world cup you stupid people give to Messi, and now that Messi did not win the world cup you are now saying overall performance 🤣🤣🤣🤣
sincenoruz
8
mbape deserve it for coming out as a top scorer for la Liga, champions league as well as FIFA world cup