Over the decades, numerous iconic footballers, including Pelé, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi have earned enormous fame and recognition for their successful exploits on the field. Owing to their unmatched dominance on the field, a majority of these legendary football players have also been awarded the prestigious Ballon d’Or award and have also led their national teams to a phenomenal streak of victory at the prestigious FIFA World Cup.
Interestingly, a few of these trailblazing football stalwarts have succeeded in clinching both the coveted honours, including the Ballon d’Or award and the FIFA World Cup trophy. Have you ever wondered about the top four football players who have won both the prestigious honors in their star-studded professional football careers? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the top four footballers who have won both the Ballon d’Or award and the FIFA World Cup trophy.
Top 4 Footballers Who Won Both Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Cup
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Lionel Messi
The legendary Argentine professional football player Lionel Messi is at the first spot in our list of the top four footballers who have clinched both the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Cup. Often hailed as one of the greatest football players in the world, Lionel Messi has clinched numerous prestigious honours and accolades throughout his professional football career so far, including a record total of eight Ballon d’Ors and six European Golden Shoes. Additionally, Lionel Messi also clinched the prestigious World Cup trophy with the Argentina senior national football team in 2022, establishing himself as one of the very few football players to have clinched both the coveted honours.
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Zinedine Zidane
At the second spot on our list of the top four footballers who have won both the Ballon d’Or award and the FIFA World Cup trophy, we have the iconic French former professional football player and current manager Zinedine Zidane, who is often popularly referred to as “Zizou” by millions of football aficionados from all over the world.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time, Zinedine Zidane clinched the coveted World Cup trophy in 1998 with the France national football team and was honoured with the prestigious Ballon d’Or also in the same year, ranking him at the second spot on our list. Zinedine Zidane earned enormous attention from the hardcore fans of the sport after his match-winning two goals against Brazil at the 1998 World Cup.
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Ronaldo
Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four footballers who have clinched both the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Cup, we have the iconic Brazilian former professional football player Ronaldo, who played as a striker throughout his international football career which lasted from 1994 to 2011. Often popularly referred to as “R9” by millions of football aficionados from all over the world, Ronaldo has clinched a record total of two Ballon d’Or awards in the years 1997 and 2002.
Additionally, Ronaldo also clinched the 2002 World Cup with the Brazil national football team earning enormous fame and recognition in the world of professional football. Although Ronaldo announced his official retirement from international football in 2011, he continues to be one of the greatest strikers in the history of the game.
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Gerd Müller
Finally, at the fourth spot on our list of the top four footballers who have won both the Ballon d’Or award and the FIFA World Cup trophy, we have the legendary German professional football player Gerd Müller, who is still hailed as one of the most prolific strikers in the history of the game. Gerd Müller was honoured with the prestigious Ballon d’Or award in 1970 and, just a couple of years later the German football sensation clinched the 1974 FIFA World Cup with the German national football team earning enormous attention from millions of football aficionados from all over the world. As of 2025, Gerd Müller continues to be one of the very few footballers to have clinched both the prestigious honours in the arena of professional football.
