The Super Ballon d’Or with two normal Ballon d’Ors
The football world is familiar with the Ballon d’Or but have you heard of the Super Ballon d’Or? The former is viewed as the summit of individual achievement in a team game, with modern greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominating the last decade.
The latter, however, is arguably an even more prestigious accolade and has only ever been awarded to one player. So, what exactly is it and how do you go about getting one? Here’s everything you need to know.
What Is The Super Ballon d’Or?
French magazine France Football is behind the Super Ballon d’Or. The award was created to honour the best player over a three decade period and was introduced by publication in 1989. The three-decade period covered by the Super Ballon d’Or when it was introduced ran from 1959 through until 1989 and only European players who had won multiple Ballon d’Ors were eligible to receive it. This meant that legends such as Pele and Diego Maradona could not get their hands on it.
The Super Ballon d’Or’s appearance and what it’s made of
As you’d expect, the Super Ballon d’Or has been designed to capture the eye. Instead of one large football, a la the standard award, the Super version has multiple golden footballs sitting at its base. A large golden football is displayed on an elevated crystal style glass stand. Fun fact, just like the standard Ballon d’Or, the majority of the surface is made up of brass plates that have been soldered together. The base is made of material called pyrite, otherwise known as fool’s gold.
Who Won The Last Super Ballon d’Or? Past Winner and runners up
Real Madrid legend Di Stefano is the only footballer to win the award, which he collected on December 23, 1989. The Argentina ace, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time, helped guide Real Madrid to their first five consecutive European Cup triumphs, and scooped two Ballon d’Or awards in the process, first in 1957 and then later in 1959. Also in the running for the award were Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini, but Di Stefano pipped them both. The Argentine won 18 trophies in eleven years spent at Real Madrid, finding the back of the net 308 times in 396 matches, and going down as a club legend.
| Rank | Player |
|---|---|
| 1st | Alfredo Di Stefano |
| 2nd | Johan Cruyff |
| 3rd | Michel Platini |
So, where is it now?
Di Stefano’s Super Ballon d’Or was even kept under lock and key at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium until it was auctioned off by Di Stefano’s estate in September, 2021 and sold for the princely sum of £187,500. At the time, it was estimated to reach between £30,000-50,000, so significantly beat auctioneer Juliens‘ expectations. Its current location is unknown and it’ll be part of an individual’s private collection.
When Is The Next One?
At present, no future date for a Super Ballon d’Or has been announced, but that has not stopped people speculating on when it might be. While there have been some exceptional winners of the Ballon d’Or in recent times, including Cristiano Ronaldo, the decision lies in the hands of France Football as to whether they want to award another. We may not have long to wait to find out as 2029 is not too far away and could be the perfect time for France Football to award another Super Ballon d’Or.
Who Could Win The Next Super Ballon D’Or?
We’ve already touched on Messi and Ronaldo, but there could well be other players who could be considered. Zinedine Zidane, for example, has achieved remarkable feats in his career. The Frenchman was voted the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1998, 2000 and 2003, and even scooped the 1998 Ballon d’Or. However, Messi is widely considered to be the greatest player of the modern era and the Ballon d’Or successes handed to him support that view. The former Barca legend, who is currently dominating the MLS with Inter Miami CF, has scooped the award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023. Yet despite the Argentine talisman regularly scooping the Ballon d’Or, he has obviously never won the Super Ballon d’Or – which makes him the most likely candidate in our view.
Super Ballon D’Or versus Golden Ballon D’or – what’s the difference?
There was another special award, the Golden Ballon d’Or, which France Football gave to Maradona in 1995. This was an honoury award as the Argentina great was not eligible to win a Ballon d’Or for most of his playing career. It wasn’t until 1995 that the award expanded beyond European players, with AC Milan’s George Weah scooping the prize.
