The Ballon d'Or remains the most sought-after individual award in men's football with the modern era dominated by the rivalry of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Argentina and Portugal greats have won a combined 15 of the 17 awards since 2008 as part of their thrilling duopoly of major team and player honours in the past two decades.
However, the incredible performances of Messi, Ronaldo and other winners is only one part of their Ballon d'Or success, with impressive teams providing the platform for star players to shine brightly.
Major clubs from across Europe have produced Ballon d'Or winners since its first edition in 1956 and The Sporting News takes a look at which clubs have produced the most winners.
When we say "produced," we mean the team for whom the winner of the award was playing in the year of his triumph, not the club at which they came through the youth system or made their senior debut in the sport.
MORE: Ballon d'Or winners: Who won the most?
Most Ballon d'Or wins by club
With Messi and Ronaldo racking up multiple award wins during their careers, and their peak years spent in Spain, Barcelona and Real Madrid are unsurprisingly the two clubs with the most Ballon d'Or wins.
The Clasico pair have produced 12 award wins each, with eight different players scooping the trophy at Real Madrid, and six at Barcelona.
Ronaldo won four of his five at Real Madrid (he was at Manchester United for his first), and Messi won six of his eight at Barcelona. He played for Paris Saint-Germain during his win in 2021, while his 2023 triumph came off the back of a season at PSG but after he had joined Inter Miami.
Six other teams have produced more than one Ballon d'Or winner during their history, with English club Blackpool the most curious entry on the full list, as club great Sir Stanley Matthews won the first award in 1956.
Because Messi was an Inter Miami player when the 2023 award was announced, it was technically the first-ever win for an MLS club.
Most Ballon d'Or wins by club
| Club | Wins | Players |
| Real Madrid | 12 | 8 |
| Barcelona | 12 | 6 |
| Juventus | 8 | 6 |
| AC Milan | 8 | 6 |
| Bayern Munich | 5 | 3 |
| Manchester United | 4 | 4 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2 | 2 |
| Inter Milan | 2 | 2 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 1 | 1 |
| Inter Miami | 1 | 1 |
Which league has produced the most Ballon d'Or winners?
The 24 combined titles won by Barcelona and Real Madrid makes La Liga the most successful Ballon d'Or production line, ahead of second-place Serie A with 18.
However, the most successful nation in the Ballon d'Or award is a tighter race. France, Germany, Netherlands, and Portugal are all tied on seven, with Argentina now one ahead on eight.
Messi has won all of Argentina's entries, with France and Germany producing five different winners each during the history of the award.
Who has won the most Ballons d'Or?
Lionel Messi is the most successful player in Ballon d'Or history, with eight title wins, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo on five.
Only 10 players all-time have claimed multiple Ballon d'Or awards. There have been 28 other players who have won the Ballon d'Or once in their career.
Players with most Ballon d'Or wins
| Rank | Player | Ballon d'Or wins |
Years won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lionel Messi | 8 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023 |
| 2. | Cristiano Ronaldo | 5 | 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 |
| 3. | Michel Platini | 3 | 1983, 1984, 1985 |
| Johan Cruyff | 3 | 1971, 1973, 1974 | |
| Marco van Basten | 3 | 1988, 1989, 1992 | |
| 6. | Franz Beckenbauer | 2 | 1972, 1976 |
| Ronaldo | 2 | 1997, 2002 | |
| Alfredo Di Stefano | 2 | 1957, 1959 | |
| Kevin Keegan | 2 | 1978, 1979 | |
| Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | 2 | 1980, 1981 |