Top 5 of the closest Ballon d'Or wins

16.09.26 15:30 LaLiga Spain

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According to an analysis published by our colleagues at “L’Équipe”, several editions of the Ballon d’Or were decided by extremely narrow margins. From Matthias Sammer to Rodri, here is a look back at five of the closest wins in the history of the award.

1996 – Matthias Sammer: 144 points to Ronaldo’s 143

The German won the Ballon d’Or by a single point over Ronaldo, despite receiving fewer first-place votes than the Brazilian. European champion with Germany and German champion, Sammer remains the winner of the closest vote in terms of points.

1966 – Bobby Charlton: 81 points to Eusébio’s 80

World champion with England, Charlton finished one point ahead of Eusébio. The Portuguese forward, the World Cup’s top scorer with nine goals, had nevertheless regularly been among the voters’ favourites.

1972 – Franz Beckenbauer: 81 points to Gerd Müller’s 79

The West Germany defender won his first Ballon d’Or in a particularly close vote. He finished just two points ahead of his teammate Gerd Müller, while Günter Netzer also ended up with 79 points.

2019 – Lionel Messi: 686 points to Virgil van Dijk’s 679

Messi claimed his sixth Ballon d’Or after a very close duel with the Liverpool defender. The Dutch captain, a Champions League winner, ultimately finished just seven points behind the Argentine.

2024 – Rodri: 1,170 points to Vinicius Jr’s 1,129

Rodri finished ahead of Vinicius Jr by 41 points, in a ranking marked by the strong presence of Real Madrid players. The Spaniard was notably rewarded for his role with Manchester City and his European Championship title won with the Spanish national team.

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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