| 1996 Ballon d'Or | |
|---|---|
 1996 Ballon d'Or winner Matthias Sammer in 1990 | |
| Date | 24 December 1996 |
| Presented by | France Football |
| Website | francefootball.fr/ballon-d-or |
The 1996 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to Matthias Sammer on 24 December 1996. [1]
Additionally, eighteen players were nominated but received no votes: Oliver Bierhoff (Udinese & Germany), Laurent Blanc (Auxerre/Barcelona & France), Zvonimir Boban (AC Milan & Croatia), Enrico Chiesa (Sampdoria/Parma & Italy), Edgar Davids (Ajax/AC Milan & Netherlands), Robbie Fowler (Liverpool & England), Thomas Helmer (Bayern Munich & Germany), Bernard Lama (Paris Saint-Germain & France), Jari Litmanen (Ajax & Finland), Andreas Möller (Borussia Dortmund & Germany), Pavel Nedvěd (Sparta Parague/Lazio & Czech Republic), Jay-Jay Okocha (Eintracht Frankfurt/Fenerbahçe & Nigeria), Raí (Paris Saint-Germain & Brazil), Dejan Savićević (AC Milan & Yugoslavia), Mehmet Scholl (Bayern Munich & Germany), Diego Simeone (Atlético Madrid & Argentina), Gianluca Vialli (Juventus/Chelsea & Italy) and Javier Zanetti (Inter Milan & Argentina).
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The 1998 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to Zinedine Zidane on 22 December 1998.
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The 1969 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to the Italian midfielder Gianni Rivera (Milan) on 23 December 1969. There were 26 voters, from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Germany, England, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Soviet Union, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, West Germany and Yugoslavia. Rivera became the second Italian to win the award, after Omar Sívori in 1961. He was also the first Milan player to win the trophy.
The 1970 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to the West German forward Gerd Müller on 29 December 1970. There were 26 voters, from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Germany, England, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Soviet Union, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, West Germany and Yugoslavia. Müller became the first West German national and the first Bayern Munich player to win the Ballon d'Or.
The 1972 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to the West German defender Franz Beckenbauer on 26 December 1972. There were 25 voters, from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Germany, England, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Soviet Union, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, West Germany and Yugoslavia. Beckenbauer became the second West German national and Bayern Munich player to win the trophy after Gerd Müller (1970).
