Ballon d'Or Firsts

The Ballon d'Or award is an annual football award for the best player over the previous year. Here are some firsts ...

The FIRST time a men's Ballon d'Or award was handed out was in 1956.
The FIRST player from Eastern Europe to win the Ballon d'Or was Dukla Prague's Josef Masopust in 1962.
The FIRST goalkeeper (and so far only one) to win the award was Russian Lev Yashin in 1963.
The FIRST African national team player to win the award was George Weah from Liberia in 1995.
The FIRST South American winner was Brazilian Ronaldo in 1997.
The FIRST women's Ballon d'Or award was presented (called the Ballon d'Or Féminin) in 2018.
The FIRST player to win the award while playing for a team in MLS was Lionel Messi in 2023.
The FIRST time both the men's and women's Ballon d'Or were awarded to players from the same country was in 2024, with Rodri and Aitana Bonmatí coming from Spain.

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