Manchester United may not be the dominant force they once were under the great Sir Alex Ferguson, but the Red Devils remain the only English side to boast multiple winners of the award.
Their dominance in English football over multiple periods and their position as one of the world's most successful sides has naturally been forged by some incredibly gifted footballers.
While much of United's success in the Ballon d'Or came during its first two decades, they have been represented by one of football's modern greats and most decorated individuals since the turn of the century.
Here is every player who has won the Ballon d'Or while representing Manchester United.
Every Player Who Has Won the Ballon d'Or with Man Utd
It didn't take long for a Manchester United player to claim the Ballon d'Or, with Scotland international Denis Law triumphing just eight years after the inaugural award was dished out to Blackpool's Stanley Matthews. He beat Spanish duo Luis Suarez and Amancio to the prize.
While United failed to secure any silverware during the 1963–64 season, Law scored a remarkable 46 goals in 42 matches as the Red Devils finished runners-up to Liverpool in the league.
Within the next four years, United had themselves two more Ballon d'Or champions. Bobby Charlton was the next Red Devil to claim the accolade but it was more for his international achievements than his club form—which was still pretty impressive, of course. Charlton scored three times for England at the 1966 World Cup as the Three Lions claimed their first and only world championship.
Charlton may have been an English superstar, but United's next winner, George Best in 1968, was a global phenomenon. The Northern Irishman scored 32 goals in 53 matches during the 1967–68 campaign as the Red Devils became the first English side to win the European Cup with a 4-1 win over Benfica.
Best scored himself in the final and Charlton grabbed a brace, with the latter finishing second in the Ballon d'Or vote in 1967 and 1968 after his initial triumph.
After some early dominance in the Ballon d'Or rankings, it took another 40 years for United to have their next winner. After another European triumph in 2008, this time under Sir Alex Ferguson, Cristiano Ronaldo—who scored in the final itself —won the first of his five Ballon d'Or titles.
2007/08 was certainly Ronaldo's best season in a United jersey before his move to Real Madrid, where he won his other four golden balls. He scored 42 times in all competitions as Ferguson's men also won the Premier League.
Man Utd Players Who Have Finished in the Ballon d'Or Top Three
Even Manchester United's past Ballon d'Or winners have had to accept silver and bronze, too.
Charlton twice finished runner-up and Best also came third three years after his 1968 triumph following another stellar year. Ronaldo only managed a second-placed finish the year before his maiden success.
But even prior to United's three winners in the 1960s, there was a close call for the club in the Ballon d'Or's second year. Duncan Edwards, who tragically died in the 1958 Munich air disaster, finished third alongside Raymond Kopa the year prior to his death.
The 1990s almost saw United end their long wait for a victor when Eric Cantona finished runner-up in 1993 just a year after his move to Old Trafford. The maverick Frenchman made an immediate impact with a glut of goals and shone with his daring flicks and tricks.
Six years later, David Beckham, who had inherited Best's worldwide superstardom, also managed second in the vote, although he was unable to best Brazil's trickster Rivaldo. Despite helping guide the Red Devils to an exceptional treble, the floppy-haired Englishman wasn't able to usurp Barcelona's attacking midfielder.
Every Man Utd Player to Finish on the Ballon d'Or Podium
READ MORE ON THE RECENT HISTORY OF THE BALLON D’OR
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Every Manchester United Ballon d'Or Winner Ever.
