Premier League Ballon D’or Winners and Nominees

How many Premier League players have won the Ballon d’Or? Read here for the history of PL Ballon d’Or winners and nominees, including Michael Owen and Rodri.

The history of Premier League Ballon d’Or winners and nominees is patchy. Just three players were nominated in the 1990s before a string of contenders in the 2000s. Another drought followed between 2008 and 2019, with Premier League players once again in the mix for football’s most prestigious honour in the latter part of the 2010s and into the 2020s. 

Has any Premier League player won the Ballon d’Or?

Yes, there have been multiple Premier League players that have won the Ballon d’Or, with Rodri being the most recent in 2024. Before that, Cristiano Ronaldo became the second Premier League Ballon d’Or winner in 2008, with Michael Owen being the first to lift the trophy in 2001.

Several other Premier League players have been in contention to join the Premier League Ballon d’Or winners list, with Erling Haaland and Virgil van Dijk among those to record a second-place finish. 

Premier League Ballon d’Or nominees last time out

Six players were nominated for the 2025 Ballon d’Or based on their Premier League performances. Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister, and Declan Rice were the Premier League’s representatives, with Salah’s fourth-place representing the highest finish.

Van Dijk, Salah, and Mac Allister were rewarded for their integral roles in Liverpool’s title win. Rice’s importance to another strong Arsenal season was acknowledged, while Palmer’s nomination was a mix of a solid Premier League season and his heroics in the Club World Cup. Haaland made it five consecutive seasons with a Ballon d’Or nomination after another campaign packed with goals.

Notable Premier League Ballon d’Or nominees over the years

The total number of Premier League Ballon d’Or nominees is comfortably in triple digits. There have been several years when more than a third of the 30-player nominee list has come from the Premier League.

In the table below, we are shining a light on the most notable Premier League Ballon d’Or nominees.

Now we know the highest profile Premier League Ballon d’Or nominees, it’s time to take a look through each Premier League nominee to register a top-three Ballon d’Or finish.

Rodri, 2024, Midfielder

One of three Ballon d’Or winners in the English Premier League, Rodri topped the balloting in 2024 ahead of Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham. This followed yet another Premier League title for Manchester City and Rodri played an integral role in Spain’s Euros win.

Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, teammates of Rodri at club level, also finished in the top 11 places.

Erling Haaland, 2023, Striker

Having scored 52 goals in all competitions as Manchester City won their first-ever continental treble, Haaland was unlucky not to win the Ballon d’Or.

Unfortunately for the Norwegian, he trailed Lionel Messi, who had led Argentina to a long-awaited World Cup during the 2022/2023 season.

Kevin De Bruyne, 2022, Midfielder

As the top scorer for Manchester City in another title-winning season and providing 14 assists across all competitions, Kevin De Bruyne finished a distant second to Karim Benzema in the 2022 Ballon d’Or voting.

De Bruyne was a regular nominee for the award throughout his time at City but only broke into the top three on one occasion. 

Jorginho, 2021, Midfielder

He might not be among the best Premier League midfielders of all-time, but Jorginho was one of the best players in the world when Chelsea won the Champions League and Italy won the Euros in 2021.

The Italian wasn’t just about his ice-cool penalties, though, as he controlled matches from a deep-lying position and had the technique and vision to execute defence-splitting passes.

Virgil van Dijk, 2019, Defender

Even the best Premier League defenders don’t get much Ballon d’Or recognition, with no defender winning the award since 2006. This makes Virgil van Dijk’s achievement of being the only Premier League defender to finish in the top three even more impressive.

Liverpool won their sixth Champions League in 2019, with Van Dijk named Defender of the Tournament. He was also named Premier League Player of the Season in 2018/2019 after Liverpool missed out on the league title by a single point.

Fernando Torres, 2008, Striker

When Spain won the first of three major tournaments in a row, Fernando Torres was their lone representative in the top three. Torres also netted 24 Premier League goals in 2007/2008, which aided his Ballon d’Or cause.

At the time, Torres was at the peak of his powers and one of the best strikers on the planet. It is the only time he finished in the top three in Ballon d’Or voting.

Cristiano Ronaldo, 2008, Forward

Starring in Manchester United’s Champions League win in 2008 and winning the Premier League Golden Boot by a sizeable margin, Cristiano Ronaldo made a legitimate claim to being the world’s best player.

It was the first of seven Ballon d’Ors for the Portuguese megastar, though it was the only one he won while playing in the Premier League.

Cristiano Ronaldo, 2007, Forward

Prior to his first Ballon d’Or win, Ronaldo finished a distant second to future teammate Kaka. Ronaldo had won PFA Player of the Year after impressing in Manchester United’s title-winning run, but he was not yet the dominant goal scorer he became in the following season.

A tally of 17 goals wasn’t enough for the Golden Boot in 2006/2007 and even saw Ronaldo finish behind Benni McCarthy.

Thierry Henry, 2006, Striker

Despite reaching incredible heights during his time with Arsenal, Thierry Henry doesn’t feature among the list of all Premier League Ballon d’Or winners. The 2006 edition was the second time Henry finished in the top three, this time behind 2006 World Cup winners Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluigi Buffon.

Henry had scored three goals in the World Cup as France reached the final, and was named in the tournament’s All-Star team.

Frank Lampard, 2005, Midfielder

Scoring 13 Premier League goals as Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea set the Premier League points record, Frank Lampard finished second to Ronaldinho in 2005 Ballon d’Or voting, despite receiving fewer first and second-placed votes than third place.

Mourinho’s 4-3-3 saw Lampard finally live up to the promise he’d shown as a box-crashing midfielder. He was at the centre of everything Chelsea did during their back-to-back titles.

Steven Gerrard, 2005, Midfielder

Guiding Liverpool’s extraordinary run to the 2005 Champions League, including that comeback in Istanbul, didn’t even earn Steven Gerrard a top two finish in Ballon d’Or voting.

Gerrard had two more first-place votes and five more second-place votes than Lampard, but he was left off plenty of ballots, which must have been down to voters putting greater weight on league performances.

Thierry Henry, 2003, Striker

The very best of Thierry Henry came in the first half of the 2000s. Battling Ruud van Nistelrooy for the Golden Boot in 2002/2003, Henry was named PFA Player of the Year, and he started the 2003/2004 season in equally impressive form.

It is curious, though, that Henry earned his first top three Ballon d’Or finish while Arsenal were in the midst of their invincible campaign. He finished fourth in 2004.

Michael Owen, 2001, Striker

Liverpool completed a cup treble in 2000/2001 with a young Michael Owen at the forefront. Scoring 24 goals across all competitions, he made many pivotal contributions in big matches.

Owen at this stage looked destined to be an all-time great. Injuries unfortunately meant it was the only time he finished in the Ballon d’Or top three, but he will forever be the first Premier League era player to win the award.

David Beckham, 1999, Midfielder

Months after Manchester United had completed the treble, it was inevitable that one of the Red Devils would find their way into the top three.

David Beckham was a fair way behind Barcelona’s Rivaldo, but he had a significant lead over Andriy Shevchenko in third.

Alan Shearer, 1996, Striker

It’s impossible to debate the top Premier League forwards of all-time without the league’s leading scorer, Alan Shearer. After scoring 31 goals in the 1995/1996 Premier League season, the Geordie won the Euro 96 Golden Boot.

A record-breaking move to his hometown Newcastle United followed, with the 1996/1997 season beginning in similarly excellent form, which led to a third-place Ballon d’Or finish.

Eric Cantona, 1993, Forward

How many players would you put above Eric Cantona on a list of the best Premier League players ever? Even with the impact of recency bias, there’s a case to be made that Cantona belongs in the top ten.

The charismatic Frenchman was massively influential as Manchester United established their dominance in the 1990s. In 1992/1993, he led the Premier League in assists and provided 15 goals.