5 Youngest Ballon d'Or winners

The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual award which a footballer can get their hands on. Only some of the most skilled and talented players have managed to get their hands on the award. However, Lionel Messi has the most Ballon d'Or with 7 followed by Cristiano Ronaldo's 5. They are the only players with the most Ballon d'Or awards in history. But today we will be looking at the 5 Youngest Ballon d'Or winners.

On this note let us have a look at the 5 youngest Ballon d'Or winners:

#5. Oleg Blokhin (1975) - 23 years, 1 Month 25 days

Ukraine and Dynamo Kyiv legend Oleg Blokhin managed to get his hands on the Ballon d'Or in 1975, surpassing the likes of Johan Cryuff and Franz Beckenbauer. On top of that, Blokhin is the 2nd player from the Soviet Union era to win the Ballon d'Or after the legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin. 

Throughout his marvelous career, the Ukrainian winger scored 59 goals in over 200 appearances for Dynamo Kyiv. He also scored 35 goals in 101 games for the Soviet Union before hanging up his boots in 1990.

#4. George Best (1968) - 22 years, 7 Months 2 days

Manchester United legend George Best was one of the youngest footballers to get their hands on this prestigious award. Best was awarded the Ballon d'Or in 1968 for his promising season with Manchester United. Alongside helping the club to win their European Cup in the same year by beating Benfica.

The Northern Irishman scored 179 goals in over 400 appearances for Manchester United in all competitions, with the club honoring their former player by creating a statue of him in front of the stadium.

#3. Lionel Messi (2009) - 22 years, 5 Months 7 days

Lionel Messi is a legend himself when it comes to winning the most number of Ballon d'Or awards. The Argentine stalwart has achieved his 7th Ballon d'Or this year. But He is also one of the youngest footballers to get this award. He was just 22 years old when he got his first Ballon d'Or in 2009. Lionel Messi beat his closest competitor, Cristiano Ronaldo, by a big margin of 240 votes.

In the 2008-09 season in which the club won six titles, where Messi provided top-notch performances.

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

Michael Owen is the only Liverpool player and is the first English player in 2 decades to win the Ballon d'Or. His contributions have helped Liverpool win the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup. However, they missed out on the league title. 

After his successful journey with Liverpool, Owen joined the Spanish giants Real Madrid, but unfortunately, his career was cut short due to injuries. He made a comeback to Liverpool's arch-rivals Manchester United but failed to replicate his Liverpool days.

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

He is the youngest player to win the Ballon d'Or in 1997 for his brilliant performances. Ronaldo is one of the most complete Brazilian players who then was an integral part of the Inter Milan squad. 

He later won this award again after 5 years but this time he was donning Real Madrid's Jersey. Despite enduring an injury-plagued career, Ronaldo scored goals galore for club and country, winning two La Liga, Copa America, and FIFA World Cup titles.

Almost two decades later, Ronaldo Nazario remains the only player to win the Ballon d'Or award before the age of 22.