World Cup and Ballon d’Or: France Football breaks a myth

France Football sought to downplay the idea that winning the World Cup automatically guarantees the Ballon d’Or. The organizers of football’s most prestigious individual award took advantage of the 2026 World Cup, held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, to analyze trends observed since 1995, the year when the Ballon d’Or was opened to all players playing in Europe, not just Europeans.

For several decades, the correlation between the two distinctions seemed evident. Legends like Bobby Charlton, Paolo Rossi, and Lothar Matthäus had won the World Cup before claiming the Ballon d’Or. This trend continued with Zinedine Zidane in 1998, Ronaldo in 2002, and Fabio Cannavaro in 2006, three world champions awarded the Ballon d’Or in the same year.

However, this streak was interrupted in 2010. Despite Spain’s victory in South Africa, Lionel Messi was preferred over Andrés Iniesta and Xavi. Four years later, Cristiano Ronaldo won against Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer, who was a World Cup finalist with Germany. In 2018, Luka Modrić won the Ballon d’Or after leading Croatia to the World Cup final, despite losing to France. In contrast, in 2022, Lionel Messi did achieve a double by winning the World Cup with Argentina before claiming the Ballon d’Or in 2023.

At the end of this study, France Football emphasizes that only four of the seven world champions crowned since 1995 have also won the Ballon d’Or, resulting in a success rate of 57%. The magazine’s conclusion is unequivocal: “To win this prestigious award, one must have been the best player of the season, not just the best player of the World Cup.”