The 10 oldest Ballon d'Or winners ever | OneFootball

Since its inception way back in 1956, there have been many names to walk the stage and have their names etched into the metal of the Ballon d’Or. It is the holy grail of football and many players – of yesteryear and the modern era – yearn to get their hands on it, though only the very best manage(d) to do so.

Many football fans will associate the award with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the imperious duo battled it out over the last 15 years or so. Although Real Madrid duo Luka Modric and Karim Benzema did upset the applecart in 2018 and 2022, respectively.

With Manchester City's imperious Erling Haaland close on his heels in 2023, the pint-sized Argentine extended his Ballon d'Or collection to an eye-catching eight as he walked the stage to be greeted by former Manchester United and Real Madrid icon, David Beckham. Kylian Mbappé, Paris Saint-Germain's primary star, came in third place but will looking to enhance his trophy cabinet with the coveted accolade of his own in the forthcoming years to come.

Messi, incredibly, is still recognised as the best in world even at 36-years-old, making him one of the oldest to ever collect the award. This really proves the old saying: “After you grow as an adult, age is just not a number, but a mindset.” But he isn't the oldest to ever do so, with a man picking up the accolade remarkably in his forties! Let's take a trip down memory lane and remember the 10 oldest players to win the Ballon d'Or.

10 Pavel Nedved – 31 (2003)

You may have vivid memories of a long-haired blondie waltzing down the wing both sides of the turn of the millennium. His most memorable moment as a footballer came in 2003, however, as he became the best footballer of the year, albeit purely from a trophy standpoint. Nedved played for a host of top football clubs, including Italian giants Juventus – a club where he spent the majority of his prime years. Helping them to two Serie A titles and the Champions League final in 2003, there’s no doubt he was a worthy winner, though Thierry Henry might feel hard done by.

9 Josef Masopust – 31 (1962)

Not as high-profile as some of the players on the list, the Czech-born footballer, versatile enough to play in midfield and as a more attack-minded forward, made a name for himself in the football echo chamber by winning the award in 1962. Known for his skill and technique on the field, he was a free-scoring player that will forever live as one of his nation’s finest footballers. Masopust was a key cog of Czechoslovakia in Euro 1960, and his exploits on the international stage were fully on show in the World Cup two years following as he opened the scoring in the final against Brazil, despite going on to lose 3-1.

8 Cristiano Ronaldo – 32 (2017)

Ronaldo - who has the most Ballon d'Or points in the history of the sport - has had the pleasure of picking up the Ballon d’Or on five different occasions across a nine-year period between 2008 and 2017, while at both Manchester United and Real Madrid. Portugal’s all-time top scorer was one half of the Messi-Ronaldo duo that dominated the trophy over many, many years and won four Champions Leagues and two La Liga titles at Madrid, a club where he chalked up a monstrous 438 games and 450 goals. His most recent victory in 2017 – when he was 32 years of age – will potentially be his last unless he returns to Europe and pulls up trees, though that is heavily unlikely.

7 Fabio Cannavaro – 33 (2006)

While perhaps not held in the same esteem as his compatriots Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta, he has something neither have. A Ballon d’Or. 2006 was a year to remember for Fabio Cannavaro as he captained Italy to World Cup success while enjoying a trophy-ladened year on an individual front. Not many defenders have the chance to lap up the award thanks to the goalscoring aspect of football being the leading way, but the small-statured Italian did just that in 2006 at the age of 33. He remains the last defender to have won the prestigious prize, an unsurprising fact maybe given the stars of football’s recent era. Although Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk came close in 2019.

6 Luka Modric – 33 (2018)

A rare winner during an era where Messi and Ronaldo basically played pass the parcel with it. The Croatian talisman rocked the boat, however, by winning it five years ago. Alongside his well-documented Ballon d’Or win in 2018, the central midfielder was named the Player of the Tournament for his awe-inspiring World Cup performances as his nation fell to a 4-2 defeat against France at the last hurdle. It marked an important moment in the history of football as he became the first Croatian and the first player not to be named Messi or Ronaldo since Kaka, who won it back in 2007, to win the award. Across the year, Modric was notable for his exceptional displays, especially in the Champions League as he was a key part of their third consecutive win of the top-tier European competition.

5 Alfredo Di Stefano – 33 (1959)

An all-time Real Madrid great, Alfredo Di Stefano was the first of many players of the European powerhouse to get their hands on the award. Synonymous in football circles for his free-scoring exploits in front of goal, Di Stefano enjoyed the most success while plying his trade at Real Madrid as he spearheaded them to win five European Cups on the trot between the years 1956 and 1960. His help towards Madrid’s dominance – both domestically and in Europe – earned his cult hero status as he finally hung up his boots in 1966 while at Espanol. Born in Argentina, who he played six times for before switching his allegiance to Spain, Di Stefano won the award on two separate occasions, though it was his win in 1959 that earns him a place on the list given he was 33 at the time of the award ceremony.

4 Lev Yashin – 34 (1963)

A goalkeeper winning football’s most coveted individual gong is practically unheard of. It’s hard enough for defenders to get their rightful flowers, let alone those between the sticks. So much so that Yashin is the only goalkeeper – at the time of writing – to receive the award. Known for his incredible reaction time, fearlessness and all-round prominence in the penalty box, the Russian is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the game’s storied history. Hailed as a ‘celebrity’ in the Soviet Union, he was very well known for his commanding skills in the box and brought a layer of composure to all of his side’s back lines. Yashin still stands as the fourth-oldest footballer to obtain the accolade, and it’ll take some doing to surpass him.

3 Karim Benzema – 34 (2022)

Karim Benzema began his journey to winning his first and – most likely – only Ballon d’Or in 2022 with some impressive free-scoring performances for Real in the 2021/22 campaign as he helped fire the Spanish side to La Liga and Champions League glory. Not only did he pitch up with 30 goals in all competitions, but his leadership, in the absence of Ronaldo, helped his side hit unbelievable heights. Edging out the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, the 97-cap France striker was the ripe old age of 34 when he walked the stage to pip the rest of world football to the prestigious individual accolade.

2 Lionel Messi – 36 (2023)

Reigning victorious in the Ballon d’Or has come like second nature to Messi since he and Ronaldo took over European football. His fans will claim that, despite typically being embroiled in a two-horse race, that he is level above those he has competed with (Ronaldo in particular) and his leading Ballon d’Or wins (8) attest to that. What a phenomenal footballer, and one that continues to carry the torch for those wishing to follow him. Though his time may be beginning to tail off, he is still an important figure in the sport, while plying his trade at Inter Miami, at the age of 36. A record-extending win at this year's edition of the ceremony really etches in name at the forefront of football's storied history - and Inter Miami now joins an exclusive list of clubs who have had Ballon d'or winners on their books.

1 Sir Stanley Matthews – 41 (1956)

The oldest-ever Ballon d’Or winner is Sir Stanley Matthews who won the award at a remarkable 41 years and 10 months old. The legendary Englishman – monikered ‘The Wizard of the Dribble’ – was a superb footballer and his place on this list attests to that. While many had retired and kicked their feet up by that age, the veteran forward was busy being the best footballer of the planet. Simply unbelievable. Matthews, most notably of Stoke City and Blackpool, won the Ballon d’Or in its inaugural ceremony way back in 1956 and still remains to this day the oldest-ever player to pick up the elusive trophy by a very fine margin.