Clubs with the most Ballon d'Or wins revealed after Lionel Messi receives eighth award

Lionel Messi has cemented his legacy as perhaps the greatest player of all time after winning his eighth Ballon d'or award on Monday, but how does his record compare to clubs around the world?

Upon receiving the award, the 36-year-old was typically humble, even admitting that Erling Haaland deserved to win.

Messi was also asked whether the prize secured his status as the GOAT, to which he responded: "As I always said, I do not know if I am the best player in history or not," he replied via @AlbicelesteTalk. "If I am one of the best, then this is a wonderful thing."

But how does the World Cup winner's individual accolades compare to other clubs? Remarkably, only two teams boast more Ballon d'Or awards than Messi.

They are bitter rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid, who both have 16 wins to their name, thanks mainly to Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The first man to lift the Ballon d'Or for Barcelona back in 1960 was Luis Suárez - no, not that one.

Dutch legend Johan Cruyff is the only other Barcelona player to have won the prestigious award more than once, having collected the trophy three times over his Barcelona career.

Brazilian duo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo, were also rewarded for their impressive performances in 2005 and 1999 respectively, with Bulgarian legend Hristo Stoichkov another recipient of the award in 1994.

Karim Benzema drew Real Madrid level in 2022 when he added a 16th Ballon d'Or to Los Blancos' decorated trophy cabinet.

Cristiano Ronaldo won a total of four Ballon d'Or's during his nine-year spell at the Bernabeu, with Luka Modric also claiming the award in 2018.

Other recipients included Fabio Cannavaro, Luis Figo, Ronaldo Nazario and Alfredo di Stefano, who lifted the prize twice in 1957 and 1959.

In joint-third place are Italian giants Juventus, who sit level with Messi on eight Ballon d'Or wins thanks to the Michel Platini, who won it three times in the black and white.

Zinedine Zidane also claimed the award, along with Pavel Nedved, who controversially beat Thierry Henry to the award in 2003.

AC Milan also have eight wins to their name due to Ruud Gullit, Kaka, Andriy Shevchenko, Gianni Rivera, and Marco van Basten, who won the award three times.

Only three English teams have won the Ballon d'Or, including Manchester United (4), Liverpool (1) and Blackpool (1).

Here is the full list:

1. Barcelona (16)
2. Real Madrid (16)
3. Juventus (8)
4. AC Milan (8)
5. Bayern Munich (5)
6. Manchester United (4)
7. Dynamo Kiev (2)
8. Inter Milan (2)
9. Hamburg (2)
10. Inter Miami (1)
11. Ajax (1)
12. Paris Saint-Germain (1)
13. Benfica (1)
14. Blackpool (1)
15. Borussia Dortmund (1)
16. Borussia Mönchengladbach (1)
17. Dukla Prague (1)
18. Dynamo Moscow (1)
19. Ferencvaros (1)
20. Liverpool (1)
21. Marseille (1)

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Topics: Ballon d'Or, Lionel Messi, Football, Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Juventus, Johan Cruyff

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno