Winners of the FIFA Golden Ball as world player of the year (award known as FIFA player of the year from 1991-09 before merging with the magazine France Football's Golden Ball award):
2010-Lionel Messi, Argentina
2009-Lionel Messi, Argentina
2008-Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
2007-Kaka, Brazil
2006-Fabio Cannavaro, Italy
2005-Ronaldinho, Brazil
2004-Ronaldinho, Brazil
2003-Zinedine Zidane, France
2002-Ronaldo, Brazil
2001-Luis Figo, Portugal
2000-Zinedine Zidane, France
1999-Rivaldo, Brazil
1998-Zinedine Zidane, France
1997-Ronaldo, Brazil
1996-Ronaldo, Brazil
1995-George Weah, Liberia
1994-Romario, Brazil
1993-Roberto Baggio, Italy
1992-Marco Van Basten, Netherlands
1991-Lothar Matthaus, Germany
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2009-Lionel Messi, Barcelona
2008-Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United
2007-Kaka, AC Milan
2006-Fabio Cannavaro, Real Madrid
2005-Ronaldinho, Barcelona
2004-Andriy Shevchenko, AC Milan
2003-Pavel Nedved, Juventus
2002-Ronaldo, Real Madrid
2001-Michael Owen, Liverpool
2000-Luis Figo, Real Madrid
1999-Rivaldo, Barcelona
1998-Zinedine Zidane, Juventus
1997-Ronaldo, Inter Milan
1996-Matthias Sammer, Borussia Dortmund
1995-George Weah, AC Milan
1994-Hristo Stoichkov, Barcelona
1993-Roberto Baggio, Juventus
1992-Marco Van Basten, AC Milan
1991-Jean-Pierre Papin, Marseille
1990-Lothar Matthaus, Inter Milan
1989-Marco Van Basten, AC Milan
1988-Marco Van Basten, AC Milan
1987-Ruud Gullit, AC Milan
1986-Igor Belanov, Dynamo Kiev
1985-Michel Platini, Juventus
1984-Michel Platini, Juventus
1983-Michel Platini, Juventus
1982-Paolo Rossi, Juventus
1981-Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern Munich
1980-Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern Munich
1979-Kevin Keegan, Hamburg SV
1978-Kevin Keegan, Hamburg SV
1977-Allan Simonsen, Borussia Moenchengladbach
1976-Franz Beckenbauer, Bayern Munich
1975-Oleg Blokhin, Dynamo Kiev
1974-Johan Cruyff, Barcelona
1973-Johan Cruyff, Barcelona
1972-Franz Beckenbauer, Bayern Munich
1971-Johan Cruyff, Ajax
1970-Gerd Muller, Bayern Munich
1969-Gianni Rivera, AC Milan
1968-George Best, Manchester United
1967-Florian Albert, Ferencvaros
1966-Bobby Charlton, Manchester United
1965-Eusebio, Benfica
1964-Denis Law, Manchester United
1963-Lev Yashin, Dynamo Moscow
1962-Josef Masopust, Dukla Prague
1961-Omar Sivori, Juventus
1960-Luis Suarez, Barcelona
1959-Alfredo Di Stefano, Real Madrid
1958-Raymond Kopa, Real Madrid
1957-Alfredo Di Stefano, Real Madrid
1956-Stanley Matthews, Blackpool
