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The world of football has witnessed many iconic players. People often measure the level of success of a player by counting the number of Ballon d'or won by them.
The Ballon d'or is an individual accolade given by French Football to a certain player who gives best performance throughout the season across all competitions.
Let's take a look at the list of players who managed to win it for the most number of times.
Lionel Messi - 8 Ballon d'Or
The Argentine icon, Lionel Messi, won one after another Ballon d'Or in his career. Between the years of 2009 and 2023, the former Barcelona star managed to win the prestigious award eight times.
With this, he became the player with the most number of Ballon d'Or in the history of the sport.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo - 5 Ballon d'Or
The Portugal international has won the prestigious individual award for five times between the year of 2008 and 2017 in his illustrious career.
The Portugal icon managed to give a tough fight to Lionel Messi during his time in European football.
3. Johan Cruyff - 3 Ballon d'Or
The Dutch maestro of the game, was one of the early stars in European football, while he was also equivalently successful in his coaching career as well, he made sure that he had a collection of Ballon d'Or before retiring.
He managed to win three Ballon d'or during his playing career. He won the prestigious accolade in 1971, 1973 and 1974.
4. Michel Platini - 3 Ballon d'Or
The iconic French midfielder was the first player ever to win the Ballon d'Or three times in a row. He won the accolade in 1983, 1984 and 1985.
He was widely appreciated for his passing ability and creativity.
5. Marco van Basten
AC Milan's striker, Marco van Basten was a beast during his prime between late 1980's and early 1990's, as he won the accolade three times in a very short span of time.
He found success in a tough league like Serie A. It was very unfortunate that he had to take an abrupt retirement because of his injury concerns.
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