5 clubs with the most Ballon d'Or winners
The Ballon dOr was an award which was started in 1956 by France Footballs chief magazine editor Gabriel Hanot. Originally, journalists could only vote for European players playing in Europe, meaning players like Diego Maradona and Pele were ineligible for the award as they were non-European.In 1995, a change in rule meant that non-European players playing in Europe were also eligible for the award. The first winner after the rulechange was George Weah of USA in the same year. In 2007, the rule changed again and any player in the world was eligible for the award and the number of voting journalists also increased.The Ballon dOr and the FIFA Player of the year were merged in 2010 and became the FIFA Ballon dOr. It is awarded based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams as well journalists from around the world.As we draw close to the 2015 FIFA Ballon dOr(BDO) awards gala, scroll down to find out the clubs with the highest number of instances where their players have won the highly coveted BDO.
#5 Inter Milan, Hamburg, Dynamo Kyiv- 2
Italian Powerhouses Inter Milan, German side Hamburg and Ukranian club Dynamo Kyiv occupy the fifth spot on the countdown as each of them have had its players win the BDO twice in their history.
Inter Milan’s German striker Lothar Herbert Matthäus was the first player in the Nerazzurri as he won the award in 1990. The holder of the record for the most number of World Cup matches played(25) was recognised with the coveted award as he captained West Germany to the 1990 FIFA World Cup title along with impressive performances for the San Siro outfit.
Former Brazilian superstar Ronaldo is the other player to have won the BDO with Inter. Scoring 49 goals in 68 appearances for the club in his five-year stint, he was named the winner in 1997 for his impressive exploits for club and country.
Legendary English and Liverpool striker Kevin Keegan won consecutive BDOs in 1978 and 1979 with Bundesliga side Hamburg. He led Hamburg to the league title in the 1978-79 season in a fruitful three-year spell with the German side.
Oleh Blokhin, the most decorated Ukranian and Soviet footballer ever, was the first BDO recipient playing for Dynamo Kyiv with the striker winning it in 1975. Attacking midfielder Igor Ivanovich Belanov is the other former Dynamo Kyiv to have got the coveted recognition having won it in 1986.