France Football has clarified the historical connection between winning the FIFA World Cup and being awarded the Ballon d’Or.
The organisers of the prestigious award reviewed performance data during the ongoing World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States, focusing on records from 1995, when the prize was opened beyond European players.
Historically, several players—including Bobby Charlton, Paolo Rossi and Lothar Matthäus—had achieved both World Cup glory and the Ballon d’Or.
That pattern continued with Zinedine Zidane in 1998, Ronaldo in 2002, and Fabio Cannavaro in 2006, reinforcing the perception of a strong link between the two honours.
However, the trend was eventually broken in 2010, when Spain won the World Cup in South Africa but Lionel Messi claimed the Ballon d’Or ahead of Andrés Iniesta and Xavi.
