Number one (2009) Ronaldo came second and Barcelona's Xavi came third as the latter's teammate, a young Lionel Messi took top honours for his incredible performances in the La Liga. Barcelona managed a treble this season, the team's first. ▲
Number two (2010) Messi has called this Ballon d'Or, his second (consecutive) one the most special one because he had alongside him Spanish teammates Xavi and Andres Iniesta. FIFA began co-sponsoring the award starting this year. ▲
Number three (2011) Barcelona won the LaLiga and the Champions League this year, with Lionel Messi at the helm. Beating Ronaldo and Xavi, Messi took home his third Golden Ball. ▲
Number four (2012) This year saw two records for Lionel Messi. He won his fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or, a record in the history of the award. He also broke Gerd Muller's record for most goals in a calendar year, finding the net 91 times in 2012. ▲
Number five (2015) Barcelona had a good year, winnng its second treble - an unrivalled Spanish football record. The club's pivot beat Ronaldo and Neymar to take top honours that year. This was also the last year FIFA co-sponsored the award. ▲
Number six (2019) The Barca forward beat Liverpool's Virgil Van Dijk and Ronaldo to bag his sixth Golden Ball, surpassing Ronaldo's haul of five. ▲
