The youngest Ballon d’Or winners in history

The youngest Ballon d’Or winners in historyRonaldo Nazário remains the youngest player to win the Ballon d'Or, having claimed football's most prestigious individual honour aged just 21 years and 92 days in 1997.But could the Brazilian's long-standing record finally be broken?Lamine Yamal is among the leading contenders for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, with the Barcelona teenager having established himself as one of the world's most exciting talents.Should he win on Monday night, the Spaniard would become the youngest-ever recipient of the award, surpassing a record that has stood for almost three decades.Here are the five youngest Ballon d'Or winners of all time, ranked by their age when they received the award.5. Oleg Blokhin: 23 years and 55 days (1975)Oleg Blohkin became the first Ukrainian footballer to win the Ballon d'Or after taking the 1975 award.A prolific goalscorer, he scored 23 times in 36 games for Dynamo Kyiv, inspiring the side to a Soviet Top League and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup double. Blohkin scored the third goal as Dynamo thrashed Ferencvárosi 3-0 to win the latter title.He finished comfortably clear of Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff in the Ballon d'Or voting.4. George Best: 22 years and 212 days (1968)George Best became the youngest-ever Ballon d'Or winner when he was named recipient of the 1968 award. The Northern Irishman had starred as Manchester United became England's first-ever European champions, beating Benfica 4-1 after extra time in the European Cup final. Best scored the decisive second in that win, one of 32 goals scored across all competitions.Best became the third Manchester United player to win the Ballon d'Or in just five years, after Denis Law (1964) and Bobby Charlton (1966).3. Lionel Messi: 22 years and 160 days (2009)Lionel Messi won the first of his record eight Ballon d'Or trophies aged just 22 years and 160 days. Messi was recognised as the planet's finest footballer for the first time in 2009, after leading Barcelona to a Champions League, La Liga, and Copa del Rey treble.Messi's award was the first of four consecutive Ballon d'Or wins, which remains a record.2. Michael Owen: 22 years and 4 days (2001)Michael Owen was named winner of the Ballon d'Or just four days after his 22nd birthday.Owen had scored 24 goals in 41 games during an unforgettable season for Liverpool, who secured a UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup treble. Owen netted in two of those finals, including a late match-winning brace to sink Arsenal in theFA Cup decider.For England, he also excelled, scoring a hat-trick in a 5-1 World Cup qualifying win over Germany in Munich.1. Ronaldo Nazário: 21 years and 92 days (1997)Ronaldo Nazario holds the record as the youngest-ever Ballon d'Or winner. O Fenômeno's incredible rise had seen him sign for Barcelona in a world-record deal from PSV Eindhoven, before scoring 47 goals in 49 games during the 1996/97 season.Ronaldo's remarkable goal record propelled the Spanish side to a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa de España treble, before he departed after only one season. Inter Milan signed Ronaldo for £19.5m as the Brazilian set the world transfer record for a second time.