While waiting for the Golden Ball award ceremony to take place this evening, where the best world football player of 2014 will be announced, we present the previous winners of this award. The list of Ballon d'Or laureates includes a multitude of famous names and legendary players, without whom football simply cannot be imagined.
1956: Stanley Matthews (Blackpool, England).
1957: Alfredo Di Stefano (Real Madrid, Spain).
1958: Raymond Kopa (Real Madrid, France).
1959: Alfredo Di Stefano (Real Madrid, Spain).
1960: Luis Suarez (Barcelona, Spain).
1961: Omar Sivori (Juventus, Italy).
1962: Josef Masopust (Dukla Prague, Czechoslovakia).
1963: Lev Yashin (Dynamo Moscow, USSR).
1964: Denis Law (Manchester United, Scotland).
1965: Eusebio (Benfica, Portugal).
1966: Bobby Charlton (Manchester United, England).
1967: Florian Albert (Ferencváros, Hungary).
1968: George Best (Manchester United, Northern Ireland).
1969: Gianni Rivera (AC Milan, Italy).
1970: Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich, West Germany).
1971: Johan Cruyff (Ajax, Netherlands).
1972: Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Munich, West Germany).
1973: Johan Cruyff (Barcelona, Netherlands).
1974: Johan Cruyff (Barcelona, Netherlands).
1975: Oleg Blokhin (Dynamo Kyiv, USSR).
1976: Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Munich, West Germany).
1977: Allan Simonsen (Borussia Mönchengladbach, Denmark).
1978: Kevin Keegan (Hamburg, England).
1979: Kevin Keegan (Hamburg, England).
1980: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich, West Germany).
1981: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich, West Germany).
1982: Paolo Rossi (Juventus, Italy).
1983: Michel Platini (Juventus, France).
1984: Michel Platini (Juventus, France).
1985: Michel Platini (Juventus, France).
1986: Igor Belanov (Dynamo Kyiv, USSR).
1987: Ruud Gullit (PSV Eindhoven/AC Milan, Netherlands).
1988: Marco van Basten (AC Milan, Netherlands).
1989: Marco van Basten (AC Milan, Netherlands).
1990: Lothar Matthäus (Inter Milan, West Germany).
1991: Jean-Pierre Papin (Marseille, France).
1992: Marco van Basten (AC Milan, Netherlands)
1993: Roberto Baggio (Juventus, Italy).
1994: Hristo Stoichkov (Barcelona, Bulgaria).
1995: George Weah (Paris Saint-Germain/AC Milan, Liberia).
1996: Matthias Sammer (Borussia Dortmund, Germany).
1997: Ronaldo (Barcelona/Inter Milan, Brazil).
1998: Zinedine Zidane (Juventus, France).
1999: Rivaldo (Barcelona, Brazil).
2000: Luis Figo (Barcelona/Real Madrid, Portugal).
2001: Michael Owen (Liverpool, England).
2002: Ronaldo (Inter Milan/Real Madrid, Brazil).
2003: Pavel Nedvěd (Juventus, Czech Republic).
2004: Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan, Ukraine).
2005: Ronaldinho (Barcelona, Brazil).
2006: Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus/Real Madrid, Italy).
2007: Kaká (AC Milan, Brazil).
2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Portugal).
2009: Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina).
2010: Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina).
2011: Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina).
2012: Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina).
2013: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, Portugal).
