Meet the Record-Breaking Teenager Who Shocked the Football World by Winning the Ballon d'Or
The Ballon d'Or represents the pinnacle of individual recognition in global football.
Presented annually to the footballer deemed by leading journalists worldwide as the finest performer over the previous season (previously determined by calendar year), no other honor matches its prestige.
Recipients are awarded, true to its title, a brilliant golden sphere—a trophy as legendary as it is representative of reaching football's summit.
Typically, this distinction goes to players in their mid-to-late twenties, those with sufficient experience to perfect their skills and control the game. However, occasionally it's claimed by someone younger—a gifted talent who amazingly rises above all others despite their youth.
So, which player holds the record as the youngest Ballon d'Or recipient?
Who Holds the Record as the Youngest Ballon d'Or Champion?
The distinction of youngest-ever Ballon d'Or champion goes to Ronaldo Nazário—the Brazilian, not Cristiano.
"O Fenômeno" (The Phenomenon), as he was widely called, claimed the honor in 1997 at merely 21 years, 3 months and 5 days old, after an extraordinary debut (and sole) season at Barcelona and a spectacular beginning at Inter Milan.
Throughout the 1996-97 season with Barcelona, Ronaldo netted an incredible 47 goals across 49 matches, leading the team to three trophies: the Copa del Rey, Supercopa de España, and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. A remarkable 34 of those strikes came in La Liga, making him the division's leading scorer by a significant margin ahead of established names like Davor Šuker, Raúl, and Rivaldo.
Following his record-breaking transfer to Inter Milan that summer, Ronaldo maintained his exceptional form, scoring 15 goals before the year's end and solidifying his position as the world's premier player. For Brazil, he was equally impressive, finding the net 15 times in 1997 alone prior to the Ballon d'Or ceremony.
In the final tally, Ronaldo dominated the voting, accumulating 222 points. Runner-up Predrag Mijatović earned just 68.
Additional Young Ballon d'Or Champions
Ronaldo wasn't the sole player to capture the Ballon d'Or during his early twenties.
The second-youngest champion in history was Michael Owen, who earned the award in 2001 at just 22 years and 4 days old. The English forward propelled Liverpool to an historic cup treble—the League Cup, FA Cup, and UEFA Cup—during the 2000/01 campaign.
Owen concluded as the team's leading goalscorer with 24 strikes across all competitions, including two unforgettable goals in the FA Cup final victory against Arsenal.
Lionel Messi, meanwhile, secured the first of his record eight Ballon d'Ors in 2009 at 22 years, 5 months, and 7 days old. Manchester United legend George Best also entered the young winners' circle, triumphing in 1968 aged 22 years, 7 months, and 2 days, while Soviet forward Oleg Blokhin captured the award in 1975 at 23 years, 1 month, and 25 days.
Cristiano Ronaldo—the Portuguese version—was slightly older, earning his inaugural Ballon d'Or with Manchester United in 2008 at 23 years, 9 months, and 29 days, before subsequently collecting four additional awards.