The Ballon d'Or's first ever victor remains its oldest. Stanley Matthews scooped the inaugural award in 1956 at an astounding 41 years old.
However, at the other end of the spectrum, there have been some remarkably youthful past winners.
While no teenager has claimed soccer’s most coveted individual prize—yet, at least—there have been an array of up-and-coming world-beaters that have been crowned the planet's best at a tender age.
Only one Ballon d'Or victor has been presented with the award prior to their 22nd birthday, topping a list of young superstars that have revolutionised football throughout the years.
Here are the 10 youngest Ballon d'Or winners ever.
10. Luis Suárez
Year: 1960
Club: Barcelona
Age: 25 years, 7 months, 10 days
Luis Suárez (the Spanish one, not the Uruguayan) became the first-ever Spaniard to win the Ballon d’Or in 1960, after a stellar season with Barcelona in which he played a starring role in the club’s second consecutive La Liga triumph.
Ironically, however, while Suárez received the prestigious recognition from France Football—the organisers of the Ballon d’Or—he was far from a fan favourite at Camp Nou.
At the time, Barcelona was sinking into debt, and coach Helenio Herrera was struggling to manage the decline of László Kubala, the aging superstar many credited with having built the Camp Nou’s legend. Although Suárez and Kubala did not play the same position, Suárez became an easy scapegoat for the coach’s treatment of Kubala. A fierce but false narrative took hold among the fans, who began to view Suárez as the enemy, booing his every touch. Clashes even broke out between “Kubalistas” and “Suaristas.”
The hostility eventually pushed Suárez to leave for Inter Milan, where he reached the peak of his career. In Italy, he won three Serie A titles and two European Cups—though never another Ballon d’Or—while Kubala rapidly faded into obscurity.
9. Johan Cruyff
Year: 1971
Club: Ajax
Age: 24 years, 8 months, 3 days
One of the most transformative figures in 20th century football, Johan Cruyff’s exceptional talent was recognised by France Football on multiple occasions as he spearheaded the Total Football revolution.
Cruyff was swiftly granted superstar status across the globe after emerging in his native Netherlands in the 1960s, with his maiden Ballon d'Or triumph arriving in 1971 while he was still donning the red and white of Ajax.
Approximately four months prior to his 25th birthday, Cruyff was given the first of three Ballon d'Or awards after winning the European Cup with the Amsterdam side in the year of his earliest victory.
8. Marco van Basten
Year: 1988
Club: AC Milan
Age: 24 years, 1 month, 27 days
Cruyff is undoubtedly the most gifted and famous footballer the Netherlands have ever produced, but he's not the youngest Ballon d'Or champion in the nation’s illustrious history. That's an honour bestowed upon Marco van Basten.
Much like his legendary compatriot, Van Basten also finished his career with three Ballon d'Or titles to his name, the first of which arrived in 1988 as he managed something Cruyff never did—to win the European Championship with the Oranje.
While also impressing in the colours of Italian giants AC Milan, the prolific Dutch striker fought off competition from international teammates Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard to claim the prize.
That volley in the Euro '88 final probably helped.
7. Eusebio
Year: 1965
Club: Benfica
Age: 23 years, 11 months, 3 days
Portugal's Iberian neighbours Spain had dominated much of the Ballon d’Or voting in its first decade but Eusébio disrupted their success. Having finished runner-up in 1962 to Czechoslovakia's Josef Masopust, Benfica’s fabled sharpshooter finally earned his victory three years later.
Mozambique-born Eusébio became the first Black player to win the prize following a sensational 1965 that saw him score at an astonishing rate. In 1964–65, the Benfica star netted 48 times in 36 matches across all competitions.
Eusebio was just shy of his 24th birthday when he earned football’s most prestigious individual honour, following his victory up with another second-placed finish the following year as Portugal finished third at the 1966 World Cup.
6. Cristiano Ronaldo
Year: 2008
Club: Manchester United
Age: 23 years, 9 months, 29 days
Just besting his international predecessor, Cristiano Ronaldo is Portugal’s youngest Ballon d'Or victor. The first of his five triumphs came all the way back in 2008 with Manchester United, capping a frightening year for one of football's all-time greats.
Ronaldo had won the Premier League and Champions League double with the Red Devils at the end of the 2007–08 campaign. He scored in the final of the latter against Chelsea after producing a then-record 31 goals in a 38-game Premier League season.
Ronaldo earned a lucrative move to Real Madrid the following year, with the Santiago Bernabeu his home for the four subsequent Ballon d'Or victories.
5. Oleg Blokhin
Born in modern day Ukraine, Oleg Blokhin became the second of three Ballon d’Or winners from the Soviet Union. Lev Yashin preceded his victory by 12 years and Igor Belanov would claim victory a little over a decade after Blokhin's impressive triumph.
Blokhin quickly established himself as a relentless goalscorer and provider during his early career with Dynamo Kyiv, scoring 89 goals across his first four full seasons with the club. 23 of those efforts came in 1975 as Dynamo Kyiv won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.
Despite Blokhin actually scoring more in 1976, he only managed a 19th place finish the year after his victory.
4. George Best
Year: 1968
Club: Manchester United
Age: 22 years, 7 months, 2 days
One of the first British footballers to transcend the game, Manchester United legend George Best remains the only Northern Irishman to win the Ballon d’Or. He's unlikely to be joined by any of his compatriots in the foreseeable future.
As United became the first English side to win the European Cup in 1968, it was Best who earned the most plaudits with his consistent goalscoring, dazzling darts down the wing and natural good looks. He scored in extra-time of the Red Devils' 4-1 win over Benfica in the final itself.
It was the crowning achievement of the late Best’s exceptional but troubled career, with the Northern Ireland icon finishing third in the Ballon d’Or three years later during the latter stages of his career.
3. Lionel Messi
Year: 2009
Club: Barcelona
Age: 22 years, 5 months, 7 days
No man has ever won the Ballon d’Or more frequently than Lionel Messi, with eight triumphs unlikely to ever be matched. Only two players have won the award at a younger age, with the diminutive magician grabbing his maiden award in 2009 at 22 years of age.
Messi was the talisman for Barcelona as they won a historic and unprecedented sextuple, including La Liga, Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup titles. Pep Guardiola's side finished the year as Spanish, European and World champions.
Messi scored in the final of the Copa del Rey, Champions League and Club World Cup to help Barca achieve one of the most sensational feats in football history. The frightening part is that it wasn't even Messi's best individual year in Catalonia.
2. Michael Owen
Year: 2001
Club: Liverpool
Age: 22 years, 4 days
Michael Owen is the most recent Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or and the only player to have done so whilst playing for Liverpool. He's also the second youngest recipient of the award after bursting on to the scene in the late 1990s and enjoying an incredibly productive 2001.
The relentless goalscorer helped Liverpool win a treble at the turn of the century, with the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup taken to Merseyside at the end of the 2000/01 season. Owen finished the campaign as the club's top scorer with 24 strikes in all competitions.
But it was Owen's display in the FA Cup final that season that was the most eye-catching. The England international scored in the 83rd and then 88th minute to secure a 2-1 comeback victory against Arsenal in the showpiece event at the Millennium Stadium.
1. Ronaldo
READ MORE ON THE RECENT HISTORY OF THE BALLON D’OR
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Youngest Ballon d’Or Winners Ever.
