Ballon d'Or Dream Team

Last updated December 15, 2024

The Ballon d'Or Dream Team is an all-time all-star team published by France Football on 14 December 2020 after conducting an internet poll of fans to select a football dream team starting from October 2020.^[1]^[2]^[3] The final team was selected by 140 France Football correspondents around the world.^[4]^[5] A second and a third team were also published.^[6]^[7]

Nominations

The nominations were announced from 5 October 2020 through 19 October 2020. The winners were revealed on 14 December 2020 and lined up in a 3–4–3 formation.^[8] Brazil was the country with the highest number of nominated players (20 athletes), ahead of Italy (16), Germany (13), Netherlands (12), Spain (8), England and France (7).

Goalkeepers

The nominations for the goalkeepers were announced on 5 October 2020.^[1]^[8]

Player	Years	Club with most appearances	Best result at Ballon d'Or
Gordon Banks	1955–1978	Leicester City (356)	7th in 1972
Gianluigi Buffon	1995–2023	Juventus (674)	2nd in 2006
Iker Casillas	1999–2019	Real Madrid (725)	4th in 2008
Sepp Maier	1962–1979	Bayern Munich (651)	5th in 1975
Manuel Neuer	2005–present	Bayern Munich (403)	3rd in 2014
Thomas N'Kono	1974–1997	Espanyol (234)	Not eligible^{[note 1]}
Peter Schmeichel	1981–2003	Manchester United (398)	5th in 1992
Edwin van der Sar	1991–2011	Ajax (312)	24th in 2008
Lev Yashin	1950–1970	Dynamo Moscow (326)	Winner in 1963
Dino Zoff	1961–1983	Juventus (479)	2nd in 1973

Right-backs

The nominations for the right-backs were announced on 5 October 2020.^[1]^[8]

Player	Years	Club with most appearances	Best result at Ballon d'Or
Giuseppe Bergomi	1980–1999	Inter Milan (757)	–
Cafu	1989–2008	São Paulo (255)	15th in 2002
Carlos Alberto	1963–1981	Santos (445)	Not eligible^{[note 1]}
Djalma Santos	1948–1970	Palmeiras (498)	Not eligible^{[note 1]}
Claudio Gentile	1972–1988	Juventus (417)	–
Manfred Kaltz	1971–1990	Hamburger SV (724)	–
Philipp Lahm	2002–2017	Bayern Munich (517)	6th in 2014
Wim Suurbier	1964–1982	Ajax (279)	–
Lilian Thuram	1991–2008	Parma (228)	7th in 1998
Berti Vogts	1965–1979	Borussia Mönchengladbach (528)	4th in 1975

Centre-backs

The nominations for the centre-backs were announced on 5 October 2020.^[1]^[8]

Player	Years	Club with most appearances	Best result at Ballon d'Or
Franco Baresi	1978–1997	Milan (719)	2nd in 1989
Franz Beckenbauer	1964–1983	Bayern Munich (575)	Winner in 1972 and 1976
Fabio Cannavaro	1992–2011	Parma (288)	Winner in 2006
Marcel Desailly	1986–2005	Chelsea (222)	8th in 1996
Ronald Koeman	1980–1997	Barcelona (264)	5th in 1988
Bobby Moore	1958–1978	West Ham United (647)	2nd in 1970
Daniel Passarella	1974–1989	River Plate (291)	Not eligible^{[note 1]}
Sergio Ramos	2004–present	Real Madrid (660)	6th in 2017
Matthias Sammer	1985–1998	Borussia Dortmund (153)	Winner in 1996
Gaetano Scirea	1972–1988	Juventus (554)	12th in 1982

Left-backs

The nominations for the left-backs were announced on 5 October 2020.^[1]^[8]

Player	Years	Club with most appearances	Best result at Ballon d'Or
Andreas Brehme	1980–1998	1. FC Kaiserslautern (237)	3rd in 1990
Paul Breitner	1970–1983	Bayern Munich (347)	2nd in 1981
Antonio Cabrini	1975–1991	Juventus (442)	13th in 1978
Giacinto Facchetti	1961–1978	Inter Milan (639)	2nd in 1965
Júnior	1974–1993	Flamengo (417)	Not eligible^{[note 1]}
Ruud Krol	1968–1986	Ajax (457)	3rd in 1979
Paolo Maldini	1985–2009	Milan (902)	3rd in 1994 and 2003
Marcelo	2005–present	Real Madrid (514)	16th in 2017
Nílton Santos	1948–1964	Botafogo (485)	Not eligible^{[note 1]}
Roberto Carlos	1991–2012	Real Madrid (527)	2nd in 2002

Defensive midfielders/Centre midfielders

The nominations for the defensive midfielders were announced on 12 October 2020.^[1]^[8]

Player	Years	Club with most appearances	Best result at Ballon d'Or
József Bozsik	1943–1962	Budapest Honvéd (447)	6th in 1956
Sergio Busquets	2007–present	Barcelona (591)	20th in 2012
Didi	1946–1967	Fluminense (150)	Not eligible^{[note 1]}
Paulo Roberto Falcão	1973–1986	Internacional (157)	Not eligible^{[note 1]}
Steven Gerrard	1998–2016	Liverpool (710)	3rd in 2005
Gérson	1959–1974	Botafogo (243)	Not eligible^{[note 1]}
Pep Guardiola	1988–2006	Barcelona (382)	24th in 1994
Josef Masopust	1950–1970	Dukla Prague (430)	Winner in 1962
Lothar Matthäus	1979–2000	Bayern Munchen (406)	Winner in 1990
Johan Neeskens	1968–1991	Barcelona (181)	5th in 1974
Andrea Pirlo	1995–2017	Milan (401)	5th in 2007
Fernando Redondo	1985–2004	Real Madrid (228)	18th in 2000
Frank Rijkaard	1980–1995	Ajax (336)	3rd in 1988 and 1989
Bernd Schuster	1978–1997	Barcelona (238)	2nd in 1980
Clarence Seedorf	1992–2014	Milan (432)	17th in 1997
Luis Suárez	1951–1973	Inter Milan (333)	Winner in 1960
Marco Tardelli	1972–1988	Juventus (379)	15th in 1982
Jean Tigana	1975–1991	Bordeaux (371)	2nd in 1984
Xabi Alonso	2000–2017	Real Madrid (236)	10th in 2010
Xavi	1997–2019	Barcelona (767)	3rd in 2009, 2010 and 2011

Attacking midfielders/Inside Forwards

The nominations for the offensive midfielders were announced on 12 October 2020.^[1]^[8]

Player	Years	Club with most appearances	Best result at Ballon d'Or
Roberto Baggio	1983–2004	Juventus (200)	Winner in 1993
Bobby Charlton	1956–1976	Manchester United (758)	Winner in 1966
Alfredo Di Stéfano	1945–1966	Real Madrid (396)	Winner Super Ballon d'Or in 1989^[9] Winner in 1957 and 1959
Enzo Francescoli	1980–1997	River Plate (233)	Not eligible^{[note 1]}
Ruud Gullit	1979–1998	Milan (171)	Winner in 1987
Gheorghe Hagi	1982–2001	Galatasaray (192)	4th in 1994
Andrés Iniesta	2002–present	Barcelona (674)	2nd in 2010
Raymond Kopa	1949–1968	Reims (463)	Winner in 1958
László Kubala	1945–1967	Barcelona (256)	5th in 1957
Diego Maradona	1976–1997	Napoli (259)	Winner of Ballon d'Or for services to football in 1995^[10] Winner in 1986 and 1990^[11]
Sandro Mazzola	1961–1977	Inter Milan (570)	2nd in 1971
Pelé	1957–1977	Santos (656)	Winner of Ballon d'Or for services to football in 2013 Winner in 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964 and 1970^[11]
Michel Platini	1973–1987	Juventus (224)	Winner in 1983, 1984 and 1985
Ferenc Puskás	1943–1966	Budapest Honvéd (358)	2nd in 1960
Gianni Rivera	1959–1979	Milan (658)	Winner in 1969
Juan Alberto Schiaffino	1945–1962	Peñarol (227)	Not eligible^{[note 1]}
Sócrates	1974–1989	Corinthians (269)	Not eligible^{[note 1]}
Francesco Totti	1993–2017	Roma (786)	5th in 2001
Zico	1971–1994	Flamengo (505)	Not eligible^{[note 1]}
Zinedine Zidane	1989–2006	Real Madrid (231)	Winner in 1998

Right wingers

The nominations for the right wingers were announced on 19 October 2020.^[1]^[8]

Player	Years	Club with most appearances	Best result at Ballon d'Or
David Beckham	1992–2013	Manchester United (394)	2nd in 1999
George Best	1963–1984	Manchester United (473)	Winner in 1968
Samuel Eto'o	1997–2019	Barcelona (199)	5th in 2009
Luís Figo	1990–2009	Barcelona (249)	Winner in 2000
Garrincha	1953–1972	Botafogo (325)	Winner in 1962^[11]
Jairzinho	1962–1983	Botafogo (413)	Not eligible^{[note 1]}
Kevin Keegan	1968–1984	Liverpool (321)	Winner in 1978 and 1979
Stanley Matthews	1932–1965	Blackpool (428)	Winner in 1956
Lionel Messi	2003–present	Barcelona (778)	Winner in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023
Arjen Robben	2000–2021	Bayern Munich (309)	4th in 2014

Centre-forward

The nominations for the center-forward were announced on 19 October 2020.^[1]^[8]

Player	Years	Club with most appearances	Best result at Ballon d'Or
Dennis Bergkamp	1986–2006	Arsenal (423)	2nd in 1993
Johan Cruyff	1964–1984	Ajax (367)	Winner in 1971, 1973 and 1974
Kenny Dalglish	1969–1990	Liverpool (502)	2nd in 1983
Eusébio	1957–1978	Benfica (440)	Winner in 1965
Sándor Kocsis	1946–1966	Barcelona (265)	8th in 1956
Gerd Müller	1963–1982	Bayern Munich (612)	Winner in 1970
Romário	1985–2009	Vasco da Gama (350)	Winner in 1994^[11]
Ronaldo	1993–2011	Real Madrid (177)	Winner in 1997 and 2002
Marco van Basten	1981–1995	Milan (201)	Winner in 1988, 1989 and 1992
George Weah	1987–2001	Milan (147)	Winner in 1995

Left wingers

The nominations for the left wingers were announced on 19 October 2020.^[1]^[8]

Player	Years	Club with most appearances	Best result at Ballon d'Or
Oleg Blokhin	1969–1990	Dynamo Kyiv (585)	Winner in 1975
Cristiano Ronaldo	2002–present	Real Madrid (438)	Winner in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017
Dragan Džajić	1962–1978	Red Star Belgrade (615)	3rd in 1968
Ryan Giggs	1991–2014	Manchester United (963)	9th in 1993
Thierry Henry	1994–2014	Arsenal (377)	2nd in 2003
Rivaldo	1989–2015	Barcelona (235)	Winner in 1999
Rivellino	1965–1981	Corinthians (474)	Not eligible^{[note 1]}
Ronaldinho	1998–2015	Barcelona (207)	Winner in 2005
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	1974–1989	Bayern Munich (422)	Winner in 1980 and 1981
Hristo Stoichkov	1982–2003	Barcelona (267)	Winner in 1994

Selected teams

First Team

Yashin

Cafu

Beckenbauer

Maldini

Xavi

Matthäus

Maradona

Pelé

Messi

Ronaldo

Cristiano

First Team^[6]

Second Team

Buffon

Baresi

Pirlo

Zidane

Cruyff

Second Team^[7]

Third Team

Neuer

Lahm

Ramos

Breitner

Neeskens

Didi

Platini

Iniesta

Best

van Basten

Henry

Third Team^[7]

Notes

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Up until 1995, the Ballon d'Or was only awarded to European players.

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References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Ballon d'Or Dream Team : La piste aux étoiles de FF". France Football (in French). 5 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
↑ "France Football presents the Ballon d'Or Dream Team". Marca . 5 October 2020. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
↑ "Ballon d'Or Dream Team : la liste de tous les nommés pour ce onze de légende". France Football (in French). 8 October 2020. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
↑ "Messi, Ronaldo, Beckham, Ronaldinho up for Dream Team place". Diario AS . 19 October 2020. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
↑ Crépin, Timothé (14 December 2020). "Ballon d'Or Dream Team: Découvrez les révélations de ce onze de légende !". France Football (in French). Retrieved 14 December 2020.
1 2 "Ballon d'Or Dream Team: Xavi alongside Messi and Cristiano". Marca . 14 December 2020. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
1 2 3 "The other two Ballon d'Or Dream Team XIs: Zidane, Cruyff, Iniesta, Di Stefano... but no Casillas". Marca . 14 December 2020. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Riaz, Adnan (22 October 2020). "Full List Of 110 Nominees For France Football's 'Ballon d'Or Dream Team' Have Been Revealed". SPORTbible . Archived from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
↑ "Real Madrid: 21 años del único Súper Balón de Oro de la historia" Archived 14 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine . Goal.com. (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2014
↑ Combien de Ballon(s) d'Or France Football aurait pu remporter Diego Maradona ? BALLON D'OR FRANCE FOOTBALL 30 octobre 2020
1 2 3 4 Marchand, Thierry (December 2015). "On a refait le palmarès". France Football. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.

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[Ballon-9] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Up until 1995, the Ballon d'Or was only awarded to European players.

[Calendar-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Ballon d'Or Dream Team : La piste aux étoiles de FF". France Football (in French). 5 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.

[2] "France Football presents the Ballon d'Or Dream Team". Marca . 5 October 2020. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.

[3] "Ballon d'Or Dream Team : la liste de tous les nommés pour ce onze de légende". France Football (in French). 8 October 2020. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.

[4] "Messi, Ronaldo, Beckham, Ronaldinho up for Dream Team place". Diario AS . 19 October 2020. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.

[5] Crépin, Timothé (14 December 2020). "Ballon d'Or Dream Team: Découvrez les révélations de ce onze de légende !". France Football (in French). Retrieved 14 December 2020.

[First-6] 1 2 "Ballon d'Or Dream Team: Xavi alongside Messi and Cristiano". Marca . 14 December 2020. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.

[SecondThird-7] 1 2 3 "The other two Ballon d'Or Dream Team XIs: Zidane, Cruyff, Iniesta, Di Stefano... but no Casillas". Marca . 14 December 2020. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.

[FullList-8] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Riaz, Adnan (22 October 2020). "Full List Of 110 Nominees For France Football's 'Ballon d'Or Dream Team' Have Been Revealed". SPORTbible . Archived from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.

[10] "Real Madrid: 21 años del único Súper Balón de Oro de la historia" Archived 14 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine . Goal.com. (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2014

[11] Combien de Ballon(s) d'Or France Football aurait pu remporter Diego Maradona ? BALLON D'OR FRANCE FOOTBALL 30 octobre 2020

[:0-12] 1 2 3 4 Marchand, Thierry (December 2015). "On a refait le palmarès". France Football. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.

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