Super Ballon d’Or Explained
The Super Ballon d’Or with two normal Ballon d’Ors
The football world is familiar with the Ballon d’Or, which is viewed as the summit of individual achievement in a team game, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominating the last decade, but there is an even more prestigious accolade, the Super Ballon d’Or. What is the Super Ballon d’Or and who has won it? We look at this special award in more detail.
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, with 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023 all years when the Messi household had to make room for another golden ball.
Yet despite the Argentine talisman regularly scooping the Ballon d’Or, he has never won the Super Ballon d’Or – in fact only one player ever has.
What Is The Super Ballon d’Or?
The Ballon d’Or is awarded by French magazine France Football, but the publication also have the Super Ballon d’Or in its locker. The Super Ballon d’Or was created to honour the best player over a three decade period and was introduced by France Football 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, meaning legends such as Pele and Diego Maradona could not get their hands on it.
France Football instead looked towards a player who made his name at Real Madrid as the recipient of what remains the only Super Ballon d’Or to be handed out so far.
Who Won The Super Ballon d’Or?
The Super Ballon d’Or, the only one to be handed out, was given to Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano, who picked up the normal version of the Ballon d’Or in both 1957 and 1959.
Also in the running for the award were Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini, but Di Stefano pipped them both.
Di Stefano 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.
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 2021 and sold for the princely sum of £187,500.
Who Voted For The Super Ballon d’Or?
The Super Ballon d’Or was voted for by a France Football jury, previous Ballon d’Or winners and also viewers and readers of France Football. Michel Platini won with viewers and readers, but Di Stefano won with France Football and former Ballon d’Or winners.
What Does The Super Ballon d’Or Look Like?
The original Ballon d’Or is renowned as an award of beauty and the Super Ballon d’Or builds upon that, with a golden ball sitting atop ruby shards, with mini golden balls at its base, symbolising how the holder sits above winners of the regular Ballon d’Or.
Will It Be Given Out Again?
Whether the Super Ballon d’Or will ever be presented again is unknown. 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 Super Ballon d’Or.
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.
Not Just A Super Ballon d’Or
While the Super Ballon d’Or only recognised European stars when he was handed out, there was another special award, the Golden Ballon d’Or, which France Football gave to Maradona in 1995.
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