Cristiano Ronaldo Among Four Ballon d'Or Winners Without World Cup Victory

While winning the World Cup holds significant weight in the Ballon d'Or awards given annually by France Football magazine to the best European player, some footballers have achieved this prestigious individual honor without securing the World Cup in the same year.

The World Cup provides football stars a major opportunity to ascend to the Ballon d'Or podium, as every four years the global attention on the tournament makes winning the title a crucial factor in securing the award.

For example, Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or in 2022 after capturing the World Cup held in Qatar. In the current edition, the competition is mainly between Messi and Lamine Yamal, with many expecting the winner to succeed Ousmane Dembélé, the 2025 recipient.

Since France Football expanded the Ballon d'Or eligibility criteria in 1995 to include all players in Europe, three players have broken the pattern by winning the award in years when their countries did not win the World Cup. Before that, Dutchman Johan Cruyff was the only European winner in a year when another nation claimed the World Cup.

Ballon d'Or Winners Without World Cup Success

West Germany secured their second World Cup title in 1974, twenty years after their 1954 victory in Switzerland. However, the Ballon d'Or votes were divided among three key German players: captain Franz Beckenbauer, and final match scorers Paul Breitner and Gerd Müller.

Johan Cruyff won the Ballon d'Or that year despite the Netherlands finishing as World Cup runners-up. The forward, a symbol of total football, surpassed the German contenders at the last moment to claim his third Ballon d'Or, having previously won in 1971 and 1973. He was the first player to achieve this feat at the time.

In 2010, Spain won their first World Cup, two years after their 2008 European Championship triumph, showcasing their dominance in global football through a collective playing style embodied by several Barcelona players such as Xavi and Andrés Iniesta.

Nevertheless, the Ballon d'Or voting was split, with Barcelona's Lionel Messi emerging as the main beneficiary. Messi earned his second consecutive Ballon d'Or despite Argentina's disappointing quarterfinal exit from the World Cup. That year, the voting system had changed due to a partnership between France Football and FIFA.

In 2014, Germany won the World Cup, defeating Argentina led by Lionel Messi, after a staggering 7-1 semifinal victory over the host nation. However, the Ballon d'Or voting remained open, with no German player standing out prominently except goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

Neuer did not win the award, leaving Lev Yashin, who won in 1963, as the only goalkeeper ever to receive it. Cristiano Ronaldo benefited from an outstanding season with Real Madrid, both individually and collectively, winning the Ballon d'Or despite Portugal's early World Cup exit.

Ronaldo and Messi competed for the Ballon d'Or that year, but Ronaldo's exceptional season, including winning the UEFA Champions League and Copa del Rey with Real Madrid and scoring 61 goals in 60 matches, secured him the award.

In 2018, despite Croatia losing 2-4 to France in the World Cup final in Russia, Croatian captain Luka Modrić won the Ballon d'Or, an unexpected outcome. Modrić benefited from a divided vote among French nominees Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé, and Raphaël Varane, and was also recognized for his outstanding season with Real Madrid.

Modrić achieved his third consecutive UEFA Champions League title (2016, 2017, 2018), a feat previously accomplished only by Ajax Amsterdam and Bayern Munich. He became the first Croatian player to win the Ballon d'Or, surpassing his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and French World Cup Best Player Griezmann that year.