Super Ballon d’Or explained

The Ballon d’Or award is the world’s most prestigious individual sporting prize. The award, created by France Football (owned by the L’Équipe Group), has been given out every year since 1956.

The main awards, presented at an annual gala ceremony, are the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or for the best player over the previous year; the Kopa Trophy for the best young men’s player; the Gerd Müller Trophy for the best striker, and the Yashin Trophy for the best male goalkeeper. There is also the Club of the Year Prize and Socrates Award.

Numerous legendary players over the years have scooped up the trophy, including Lionel Messi, who has won it eight times, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won it five times. Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario, Franz Beckenbauer and George Best have all also got their hands on the reputable award.

However, there is an award that is even more prestigious than the great Ballon d’Or – the Super Ballon d’Or. So what is it? Who has won it before? Where is the trophy now? And will it even be handed out again?

How it Differs From the Traditional Ballon d’Or

The Super Ballon d’Or is the name of a prize that was awarded on 24 December 1989, by the French football magazine France Football for the best football player of the last three decades. The trophy looks similar to the Ballon d’Or but has many mini gold footballs at its base. So far, the award has only been given out once – making it possibly the rarest accolade a footballer can achieve.

Taking into account the achievements across the entire career of the winning player, as well as the impact they had on the game as a whole and the team they specifically represented, the award covers all bases. This honour is largely down to longevity, which is where it differs from the Ballon d’Or that is handed out every 12 months.

A player who performs at a world-class level for a few years is unlikely to be in contention for a Super Ballon d’Or due to the number of players who consistently perform at the highest level for many years. One sensational year can result in a Ballon d’Or win against the odds. Just ask Luka Modric.

The Only player to Win the Super Ballon d’Or

Alfredo Di Stefano beat Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini to the prize

Only European players could win the Ballon d’Or until 1995, when it was expanded to include all players of any origin that have been active at European clubs. That means that the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona were not able to win the Super Ballon d’Or in 1989. Had the South American duo been eligible for the honour, there is a very strong possibility that one of them would have come out on top.

However, this was not the case and the front-runners for the award in 1989 included France legend Michel Platini – who won three consecutive Ballon d’Or trophies from 1984-1986 – and Franz Beckenbauer, considered one of the greatest defensive-minded players in football history. Dutch legend Johan Cruyff, winner of the Ballon d’Or in 1971, 1973 and 1974, and Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano were also in contention.

It was the latter who picked up the trophy, emerging victorious in a vote involving fans, a France Football jury and former winners of the Ballon d’Or. Di Stefano, who passed away in 2014, established himself as a legend at Real Madrid, scoring 308 goals in 396 official matches and helping them to 18 trophies in 11 years from 1953-1964. Having represented both Spain and Argentina at the international level, Di Stefano is Los Blancos’ fourth top goalscorer of all-time after being overtaken by Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Raul in the 21st century.

How Voting Was Completed

Former Ballon d’Or winners had a say on the prize

In 1989, the voting was completed in three sections. France Football’s jury had a vote, and so did a group of former Ballon d’Or winners, whilst ‘viewers and readers’ had the opportunity to cast the decision. From France Football’s jury, which consisted of journalists from around the world, 11 of them – out of 27 – decided that Di Stefano deserved the award. Johan Cruyff finished with nine votes, Michel Platini had five and Franz Beckenbauer had two. It was a similar story for the former winners, with eight – out of 19 – thinking Di Stefano was the worthy winner, Cruyff and Platini again made up the podium places.

However, in the vote from viewers, Platini finished top with 54% of the vote, with Cruyff second, Beckenbauer third and Di Stefano fourth. But despite the unanimous win for the Dutchman, Di Stefano’s vote from the jury and former winners outweighed it, seeing the legendary Real Madrid player win it.

Where Di Stefano’s Super Ballon d’Or Trophy is now

Prize had been on display at Real Madrid’s museum

Di Stefano’s Super Ballon d’Or award was on display at the Real Madrid Museum at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. However, in 2021, a lot of his memorabilia, including the rare trophy, was auctioned off at Julien’s Auctions in London as part of the ‘Property from the estate of Alfredo Di Stefano Event’.

The Super Ballon d’Or was the most expensive item at the auction by some distance, selling for a whopping £187,500. The current whereabouts of the trophy, however, are unknown.

Potential Super Ballon d’Or Favourites

Should the prize return, Messi and Ronaldo will be frontrunners

It is unknown whether the Super Ballon d’Or trophy will ever be handed out again. However, there is a chance that it could be presented for the second time in 2029.

So, who will be in contention to win it? Two-time winner Ronaldo Nazario and three-time winner Marco van Basten will likely both be among the nominees and Real Madrid great Zinedine Zidane could even be in with an outside chance. But, realistically, it will be a two-horse race between two of the greatest players ever: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi will be the favourite, having won the Ballon d’Or trophy eight times – more than any other player in history by some margin. Despite Messi’s record-breaking total, many believe Ronaldo is the better player and there will surely be many that think he deserves to be the second winner of the prestigious trophy. That being said, here’s a closer look at the front-runners for the potential prize.

Lionel Messi

The player to have scooped the most prestigious prize in the world of football more than anyone else has surely got to be the firm favourite should the Super Ballon d’Or be dished out for a second time in history. Messi not only scored some iconic goals and created some mesmeric assists for his teammates along the way, but the little magician also won all the major trophies available to him, including league titles in Spain and France and the World Cup in late 2022 with Argentina. This was the biggest trophy that had eluded Messi until the age of 35, but it cemented his legacy as the GOAT of the game.

The former Barcelona hero has broken many records throughout his long and storied career, with the most notable being his 91-goal haul in a single calendar year in 2012. His tally of eight Ballon d’Or awards is highly unlikely to be broken for generations, proving just how unfathomable this feat is. It would be truly astonishing to see any other player given the honour of going down in the history books alongside Di Stefano as the second man to win the Super Ballon d’Or.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Despite his long-term rival being the undoubted and overwhelming favourite to scoop the prize, Ronaldo cannot be brushed past and forgotten about completely. The Portuguese superstar is the top goalscorer of all time for both club and country, amassing more than 900 goals across his two-decade-long career. Having played at an elite level for Manchester United, Juventus and Real Madrid for the majority of his time in the game, Ronaldo has a trophy cabinet brimming at the seams. He has lifted the biggest team prize in European football – the Champions League – five times, which is a joint record with several other Real Madrid players.

He must kick himself at times that he had to play at the same time as Messi because Ronaldo’s collection of five Ballon d’Or awards is two more than any other player in history – other than his Argentine counterpart. While there is still time to go in both men’s careers, it is extremely unlikely that Ronaldo will be able to make up the difference to win the race to the Super Ballon d’Or.

Marco van Basten

We are now in the territory of players who might get the recognition they deserve from modern-day fans. Being spoiled with the greatness of Ronaldo and Messi, it is easy to overlook the fact that Van Basten won three Ballons d’Or. The Dutch talisman was sensational for AC Milan and Ajax as he thundered in more than 100 goals for both teams. All of this was achieved before the age of 31, as the icon was forced into early retirement due to injury. Had that not been the case, could Van Basten have added to his – at the time – joint record of three Ballon d’Or awards?

Granted, his first time winning the award was in 1988, one year before the only Super Ballon d’Or to date was handed out to Di Stefano, but two of his successes would count towards the 30 years being looked at here. It is almost impossible that the man who helped the Netherlands to their only ever international trophy (Euro 1988) would be selected above Ronaldo and Messi, but he has as strong a case as anyone else to be in the conversation at least.

Ronaldo Nazario

The only other man to have scooped the Ballon d’Or more than once since 1989. Ronaldo Nazario – affectionately known as R9 – is one of the most technically gifted strikers to have ever graced the hallowed turf. There was every chance that the Brazilian legend could have retired with three Ballons d’Or to his name, but he was narrowly beaten to the honour in 1998. This was due to Brazil’s failure to win the World Cup that year, but the most successful international side of all time put that right in 2002, with Ronaldo being at the very centre of the action.

In one of the best World Cup finals of all time, Ronaldo scored a brace to see his country beat Germany 2-0 and this helped him to a second Ballon d’Or. Fitness issues plagued large parts of his iconic career, but Ronaldo’s spell at Barcelona was good enough to see him plunged forward into the debate of best forwards in history. In terms of natural ability, there’s an argument to be had that the former Inter Milan ace could be in with a shout of being at the top of the list.

Zinedine Zidane

He may only have one Ballon d’Or to his name – after beating R9 to the accolade in 1998 – but Zidane is often looked upon as the greatest central midfielder in the time frame we are looking at. For both Juventus and Real Madrid, the Frenchman was adept at creating chances, providing assists, and scoring goals from the engine room. Despite being an intimidating presence in the middle of the park, Zidane moved across the pitch with an elegance and grace that even the silkiest wingers in the world cannot boast.

A World Cup success in 1998 was the biggest accomplishment of his career, but Zidane also lifted league trophies for Juventus and Real Madrid and, of course, who could forget that beautiful volley to secure a Champions League trophy for Los Blancos at Hampden Park in 2002? He is some way behind in the battle to win the Super Ballon d’Or but not only because he has won fewer Ballons d’Or than Messi, Ronaldo, Van Basten and R9, but also because it is hard to imagine a man who retired in shame after headbutting Marco Materazzi in his last ever appearance in the 2006 World Cup final.