France Football has weighed in on the long-running debate over the criteria for winning the Ballon d’Or, saying that lifting the FIFA World Cup is no longer a guarantee of claiming football’s most prestigious individual award.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup ongoing in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the magazine revisited the history of the Ballon d’Or to examine how closely the award has been linked to World Cup success since 1995, when eligibility was expanded beyond European players.
The organiser disclosed this in a statement sighted on its website on Tuesday.
Historically, World Cup winners frequently went on to claim the Ballon d’Or.
England’s Bobby Charlton, Italy’s Paolo Rossi and Germany’s Lothar Matthäus each achieved the feat, while France’s Zinedine Zidane, Brazil’s Ronaldo and Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro completed the World Cup-Ballon d’Or double in 1998, 2002 and 2006, respectively.
However, that trend has weakened in recent years.
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In 2010, Spain won the World Cup in South Africa, but the Ballon d’Or went to Lionel Messi instead of Spain’s Andrés Iniesta or Xavi. Four years later, Cristiano Ronaldo won the award despite Portugal not winning the World Cup, beating Argentina’s Messi and Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who had lifted the trophy.
A similar pattern emerged in 2018 when Croatia’s Luka Modrić claimed the Ballon d’Or after leading his country to the World Cup final, despite losing to France.
The World Cup-Ballon d’Or double returned in 2022 when Messi guided Argentina to World Cup glory before winning the Ballon d’Or the following year.
According to France Football, only four of the seven players whose countries won the World Cup since 1995 also won the Ballon d’Or in the same year, representing a “success rate of about 57 per cent”.
The magazine concluded that winning the World Cup alone is no longer sufficient to secure the Ballon d’Or.
“Yes, winning the World Cup helps, but it does not guarantee a Ballon d’Or. To win it, you need to have been the best player of the season, not only of the World Cup,” it said.
Saheed is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over two years of experience covering metro, technology, sports, politics, and human-interest stories. He focuses on producing clear, engaging reports across diverse beats. Saheed’s work reflects hands-on newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate and balanced journalism.
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Source: The Punch
