Ballon d'Or Quiz

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29 football trivia questions & answers

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1. Who won the Ballon d'Or in 2005?

   ARonaldinhoBGerrardCHenryDLampard

   Ronaldinho took the 2005 Ballon d'Or at the peak of his Barcelona spell, the season before he led them to the 2006 Champions League title.

2. Who was the first player from an African nation to win the Ballon d'Or?

   AEto'oBYaya TouréCDrogbaDWeah

   George Weah won the 1995 Ballon d'Or, the first time a player from an African nation took it, and the first year non-Europeans were eligible.

3. Who won the 2024 Men's Ballon d'Or?

   AYamalBVinicius JrCRodriDJude Bellingham

   Rodri became the first Manchester City player to win the Ballon d'Or, edging Vinicius Junior months after winning Euro 2024 with Spain (where he was named player of the tournament).

4. Who won the first ever Women's Ballon d'Or in 2018?

   AMegan RapinoeBAlex MorganCMartaDAda Hegerberg

   Ada Hegerberg of Norway and Lyon — her acceptance speech was overshadowed by an inappropriate 'twerk' comment from the host.

5. Which player won the Ballon d'Or in 2022?

   AVinicius JrBMessiCBenzemaDHaaland

   Benzema won it after leading Real Madrid to the Champions League and La Liga double in 2021-22.

6. Which Italian captain won the 2006 Ballon d'Or after leading the Azzurri to World Cup glory — becoming only the third defender to win the award?

   AGianluca ZambrottaBAlessandro NestaCPaolo MaldiniDFabio Cannavaro

   He was only the third defender to win it, after two Germans.

7. By the end of 2025, Lionel Messi had won a record eight Ballon d'Or awards. In which year did he claim his first, by a then-record 240-point margin?

   A2008B2009C2010D2007

   Messi won with 473 points to Cristiano Ronaldo's 233, after his Barcelona side won the treble under Guardiola.

8. Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or a record eighth time in which year?

   A2024B2021C2023D2022

   Messi's eighth Ballon d'Or in 2023 came on the back of leading Argentina to the 2022 World Cup, beating Erling Haaland to the award.

9. Which Benfica legend — born in Mozambique — was famously nicknamed 'The Black Panther' and won the 1965 Ballon d'Or?

   AEusébioBJosé TorresCJosé ÁguasDMário Coluna

   Eusébio ('Pantera Negra') won the Golden Boot at the 1966 World Cup with 9 goals and is Benfica's all-time top scorer with 473 official goals.

10. Aitana Bonmatí won the 2023 Women's Ballon d'Or while playing her club football for which team?

    ASevillaBBarcelonaCReal MadridDAtlético

    Bonmatí won the 2023 Ballon d'Or Féminin as a Barcelona midfielder.

11. Ousmane Dembélé won the 2025 Ballon d'Or — which club was he playing for?

    APSGBDortmundCBayern MunichDBarcelona

    Dembélé won after helping PSG to their first Champions League, a 5-0 rout of Inter, with Barcelona's Lamine Yamal runner-up.

12. Which Bulgarian forward scored in the 1994 World Cup semi-final defeat to Italy and won the Ballon d'Or later that year — his six goals at USA '94 sharing the Golden Boot?

    AHristo StoichkovBYordan LetchkovCTrifon IvanovDEmil Kostadinov

    The Barcelona star equalised from the penalty spot in the semi before Baggio's brace sent the Azzurri through — it was the peak of a golden generation that also beat defending champions Germany in the quarters.

13. Which legendary player received the first ever Ballon d'Or in 1956?

    ADi StefanoBKopaCPuskasDMatthews

    Stanley Matthews of Blackpool won the inaugural 1956 Ballon d'Or, aged 41 — he's still the oldest winner.

14. Which Italian won the 1993 Ballon d'Or while playing for Juventus?

    AVialliBDel PieroCMaldiniDBaggio

    Roberto Baggio won the 1993 award with 142 points, ahead of Dennis Bergkamp on 83 and Eric Cantona on 34.

15. A French forward became the first Frenchman to win the Ballon d'Or, in 1958, but he did it while playing his club football for which team?

    AStade de ReimsBSaint-ÉtienneCReal MadridDOlympique de Marseille

    He had left a famous Reims side to join the Spanish giants, with whom he lifted three straight European Cups.

16. In the 2010 Ballon d'Or, the three finalists for the world's best player were ALL from the same club and youth academy. Which three players?

    AMessi, Xavi and IniestaBMessi, Eto'o and HenryCXavi, Iniesta and BusquetsDMessi, Villa and Pedro

    La Masia became the first academy ever to produce all three finalists in one year; Messi took the prize ahead of Iniesta and Xavi.

17. Which silky playmaker, the 'Golden Boy' and 1969 Ballon d'Or winner, is one of Milan's most beloved all-time icons?

    ASandro MazzolaBRoberto BaggioCGianni RiveraDGiuseppe Meazza

    Rivera spent 19 years at Milan and remains the only Italian-developed midfielder to win the Ballon d'Or while at the club. He later became a politician.

18. In which year did the Milan playmaker Kaká claim the Ballon d'Or?

    A2005B2009C2004D2007

    He lifted it months after dragging Milan to a Champions League final win over Liverpool in Athens. Cristiano Ronaldo took the award the very next year.

19. Jean-Pierre Papin won the 1991 Ballon d'Or while playing for which French club?

    AGirondins de BordeauxBAS MonacoCOlympique de MarseilleDOlympique Lyon

    Papin was Marseille's prolific striker and won the 1991 Ballon d'Or during his time at the club.

20. Which Manchester United winger won the Ballon d'Or (European Footballer of the Year) in 1968?

    ADenis LawBGeorge BestCJohn AstonDBobby Charlton

    Best took the award in 1968, the year he scored in United's European Cup final win over Benfica at Wembley.

21. Which Liverpool striker won the Ballon d'Or (European Footballer of the Year) in 2001?

    ARobbie FowlerBSteven GerrardCMichael OwenDEmile Heskey

    Owen's goals in Liverpool's treble season earned him the 2001 award, the first by an Englishman in more than two decades.

22. Which Real Madrid midfielder won the 2018 Ballon d'Or, ending a decade of Messi and Ronaldo dominance?

    ALuka ModricBToni KroosCMarco AsensioDIsco

    Croatia's Luka Modric took the 2018 award after Madrid's Champions League treble and his run to the World Cup final.

23. Which Argentine-born forward won the 1961 Ballon d'Or while starring for Juventus?

    AHumberto MaschioBAntonio AngelilloCOmar SivoriDAlfredo Di Stefano

    Sivori, an oriundo who played for Italy, took the 1961 Ballon d'Or as a Juventus forward — the club's first winner of the award.

24. Which Dortmund defender won the 1996 Ballon d'Or, the first German defender honoured since Franz Beckenbauer?

    AJürgen KohlerBMatthias SammerCStefan ReuterDAndreas Möller

    Sweeper Matthias Sammer took the 1996 Ballon d'Or after starring for both BVB and Germany's Euro 96 winners.

25. Ruud Gullit won the 1987 Ballon d'Or in his first season at AC Milan, having just joined from which club?

    AFeyenoordBPSV EindhovenCAjaxDSampdoria

    Gullit moved from PSV Eindhoven to Milan in 1987 and immediately claimed football's top individual prize.

26. Which Portuguese star of Porto's 1987 European Cup win finished runner-up in that year's Ballon d'Or?

    APaulo FutreBFernando GomesCRui BarrosDJoão Pinto

    Paulo Futre finished second to Ruud Gullit in the 1987 Ballon d'Or after starring in Porto's European Cup win.

27. Deco finished runner-up in the 2004 Ballon d'Or behind which player?

    AThierry HenryBRonaldinhoCAndriy ShevchenkoDRonaldo

    Deco came second to Milan's Andriy Shevchenko in the 2004 Ballon d'Or.

28. Pavel Nedvěd left Lazio in 2001 to join which club, where he later won the Ballon d'Or?

    AJuventusBReal MadridCMilanDBayern Munich

    Juventus paid around €38.7 million for Nedvěd as Zinedine Zidane's replacement, and he won the 2003 Ballon d'Or in Turin.

29. In 2023 Jude Bellingham became the first English player to win which award at the Ballon d'Or ceremony?

    ASocrates AwardBYashin TrophyCGerd Muller TrophyDKopa Trophy

    The Kopa Trophy goes to the best player aged under 21; Bellingham took the 2023 edition ahead of nominees including Jamal Musiala.