5 Youngest Players Ever to Win Ballon d'Or Award

These five footballers didn’t wait around. From Ronaldo to Owen, here are the youngest players in history to win the Ballon d’Or all before turning 23.

Image Credit : Getty

1. Ronaldo Nazario – 21 years, 3 months, 5 days (1997)

After doing good at PSV, he smashed 47 goals in a single season at Barcelona and won three trophies. That kind of form couldn’t be ignored. He became the youngest Ballon d’Or winner ever in 1997. A year earlier, he finished second. A year later, he joined Inter Milan in another record-breaking move. Even before his peak, Ronaldo already made history.

Image Credit : Getty

2. Michael Owen – 22 years, 4 days (2001)

Owen won it just four days after his 22nd birthday. That season, he dragged Liverpool to a cup treble with the FA Cup, League Cup, and UEFA Cup scoring 28 times. His two late goals in the FA Cup final against Arsenal were the legendary. England had its fourth Ballon d’Or winner, and the Premier League had its first.

Image Credit : Getty

3. Lionel Messi – 22 years, 5 months, 7 days (2009)

Messi’s first of eight Ballon d’Ors came when he was just 22. That year, Barcelona swept everything that included La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Champions League. Messi scored 38 goals, many from a new central role. Alongside Eto’o and Henry, he formed one of football’s deadliest trios.

Image Credit : Getty

4. George Best – 22 years, 7 months, 2 days (1968)

In 1968, he helped Manchester United become the first English club to win the European Cup. He scored in the final and bagged 32 goals that season. He was part of United’s iconic trio with Charlton and Law. He was their most electric star. By the age of 22, even the Ballon d’Or followed.

Image Credit : Getty

5. Oleg Blokhin – 23 years, 1 month, 25 days (1975)

Blokhin led Dynamo Kyiv to an unforgettable treble in 1975 winning the Soviet league, UEFA Winners' Cup, and UEFA Super Cup. He was the top scorer and the force behind it all. Beating out legends like Beckenbauer and Cruyff, Blokhin became the first Ukrainian to win the Ballon d'Or and is still a hero in Eastern European football.