Ballon d’Or: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and all the others to have won the prestigious award in the past

The 66th Ballon d'Or is set to be awarded this evening (Monday, October 17) in Paris, with many players hoping to follow in the footsteps of icons such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is the red-hot favorite to win football's most prestigious individual honor. The French forward scored 44 times in 46 appearances across competitions as Los Blancos secured a La Liga and Champions League double last term.

This year's prize is the first in history to be awarded for performances over a season rather than in a calendar year. The Ballon d'Or is being awarded much earlier than usual, with the upcoming FIFA World Cup set to take place later in the year.

Lionel Messi is the current record holder in terms of how many times he has won the award, with seven wins in total. He has won the past two Ballon d'Ors, although the prize was not given out in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The award will certainly leave Messi's grasp this evening, as the Paris Saint-Germain forward has not even been nominated for the historic trophy. Cristiano Ronaldo is second on the list of wins with five and although the Manchester United striker has been nominated this year, it is unlikely he will win it.

Luka Modric of Real Madrid and Croatia is the only man the past 14 years not named Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi to win the Ballon d'Or. Robert Lewandowski, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are among the favorites to win in Paris, but are unlikely to be chosen ahead of Benzema.

List of previous Ballon d'Or winners with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo leading the way

Since the Ballon d'Or's inception in 1956, Messi and Ronaldo have won nearly 20% of all the titles. Below is a list of every winner of the prize, from Sir Stanley Matthews in 1956, to Messi in 2021: