The Ballon d’Or is one of the prestigious awards that is given to a footballer based on their performance throughout the football season. Every footballer dreams of winning the award at least once in their football career. Well, some players have won the award once in their football career, and some have won it several times. Well, do you know that the Ballon d’Or winner is based on the highest points accumulated by FIFA. So let’s know the top 10 closest winning margin in Ballon d’Or history.
Top 10 Closest Winning Margin in Ballon d’Or History
- 1996 (1 point)
- 1996 (1 point)
- 1972 (2 points)
- 1956 (3 points)
- 1977 (3 points)
- 1969 (4 points)
- 1977 (4 points)
- 1961 (6 points)
- 1978 (6 points)
- 1970 (7 points)
- 2019 (7 points)
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Top 10 Closest Winning Margin in Ballon d’Or History
1. 1966 and 1996
The closest winning margin in Ballon d‘Or history is 1 point, which came during the 1966 and 1996 Ballon d’Or races.
It was Bobby Charlton who was awarded the 1966 Ballon d’Or by 81 points. On the other hand, Eusebio ended up in second place with 80 points and lost the Ballon d’Or with just 1 point. Similarly, in 1996, Matthias Sammer won the Ballon d’Or with 144 points, and Ronaldo ended up in second place with 143 points.
3. 1972 (2 points)
The next closest win margin is 2 points, which was during the 1972 season. Franz Beckenbauer was awarded the winner with 81 points, and two of his countrymates, Gerd Muller and Gunter Netzer ended up in joint-second place with 79 points.
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4. 1956 and 1977 (3 points)
Before the above winning margin, it was 3 points in 1956. The first-ever Ballon d’Or event in football history. Stanley Matthews won the Ballon d’Or with 47 points, and Alfredo di Stefano came in second place with 44 points.
Similarly, in 1997, Kevin Keegan fell three points short of Allan Simonsen, who won the award with 74 points.
6. 1969 and 1977 (4 points)
The next winning margin on the list was 4 points in 1969 and 1977. It was a close contest between two Italian legends, Gianni Rivera and Gigi Riva. Gianni Rivera won the Ballon d’Or with 83 points, and Gigi Riva fell short by 4 points.
Similarly, in 1977, Michel Platini fell three points short of Allan Simonsen, who won the award with 74 points. Platini ended up in 3rd position on the ranking and is the only third-rank footballer on the list.
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8. 1961 and 1978 (6 points)
The next closest winning margin was 6 points in 1961 and 1978. Omar Sivori won the award in 1961 by 46 points, and Luis Suarez ended up in second place with 40 points. Similarly, in 1978, Kevin Keegan won the Ballon d’Or with 87 points, and Hans Krankl lost by 6 points.
10. 1970 and 2019 (7 points)
The next closest winning margin was 6 points in 1970 and 2019. Gerd Muller won the award in 1970 with 77 points, and Bobby Moore ended up in second place with 70 points. Similarly, in 2019, Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or with 87 points, and Virgil Van Dijk lost by 7 points.
FAQs
Q: What is the closest winning margin in Ballon d’Or history?
Ans: A 1-point win in 1966 and 1996, is the closest winning margin in Ballon d’Or history.
Q: Who has the closest winning margin in Ballon d’Or history?
Ans: Bobby Charlton and Matthews Sammer have the closest winning margin in Ballon d’Or history by 1 point.
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