Some African countries shine brightly in the prestigious Ballon d’Or awards. Discover the champions, records and legacies of the most successful nations in this iconic football competition.
Immerse yourself in the history, excitement and pride that surround these exceptional achievements. A captivating journey through the triumphs of African football at the highest level!
An impressive total of 11 Ballons D’or led to Cameroon‘s legendary Roger Milla ( 2 ), Thomas Nkono ( 2 ), Manga Onguene ( 1 ), Théophile Abega ( 1 ), Patrick Mboma ( 1 ) and Samuel Eto’o ( 4 ) is the undisputed King!
Ranking by country :
1. Cameroon : (11)
Cameroon has had more success in the African Ballon d’Or. Samuel Eto’o’s country has had several talented players. Players like Samuel Eto’o and Roger Mila have proved themselves to be great players and icons of African football. Samuel Eto’o is the player who has triumphed the most, winning four African Ballon d’Or awards. He has put Cameroon ahead of all other countries in the rankings. Roger Mila follows the former Barça player with two Ballon d’Or wins. He won the first in 1976 and the second in 1990. Thomas Nkoko has also won the trophy twice. Patrick Mboma has won it once, as has Jean Manga Onguene.
2. Côte d’Ivoire: (6)
Côte d’Ivoire came 2nd in the list of countries to win the African Ballon d’Or. With players of great quality, the country saw its good players triumph at the ceremony. Yaya Toure tied with Samuel Eto’o. After winning over the world during his spells at Barça and Manchester City, the Ivorian has swept all before him. His fine performances have earned him four African Ballon d’Or awards. Didier Drogba was also up to the task during his time at Chelsea. He was one of the best strikers in the world. His skills and hard work were rewarded and he won the prestigious trophy twice.
3. Ghana : (5)
Ghana won the second edition of the Ballon d’Or with Ibrahim Sunday, a source of pride for the Ghanaian people. This was followed by Karim Addul Razak’s triumph in 1978. The great Abedi Pelé completed the trophy cabinet by winning the African Ballon d’Or three times in a row (1991, 1992, 1993). He was one of the best Africans to play in Europe. In his day, he was even considered the best. He was one of the key men who helped Marseille win the Champions League.
4. Nigeria: (4)
Nigeria, too, have not triumphed since 1999. With some very good players like Okocha, a very talented and stylish player who has never won the African Ballon d’Or, Nigeria have relied on Kanu to add to their trophy cabinet. Victor Ikpeba has won the trophy once and Nwanko Kanu twice.
Having enjoyed a fabulous season with Napoli, the Nigerian striker was crowned Footballer of the Year for the first time in his career. He succeeds Sadio Mané, winner of the last two awards.
Victor Osimhen (24) was voted African Footballer of the Year 2023 by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) at a ceremony in Marrakesh, Morocco, on Monday. The Nigerian succeeds Sadio Mané, who took the title in the last two editions, ahead of Mohamed Salah and Achraf Hakimi. The Napoli striker scored 31 goals and provided 4 assists in 39 games last season, winning the Italian championship in the process.
5. Morocco: (4)
Morocco are tied with Senegal. Morocco have not won the prestigious Ballon d’Or trophy since 1998. The last person to win it was Mustapha Hadji. Before him, Badou Zaki triumphed in 1986. Mohamed Timouni and Ahmed Faras were the first to win it. Despite having some very good players, Morocco is no longer able to win the prestigious trophy.
6. Senegal : (4)
After an impeccable African Cup competition, the Bambali native has been rewarded. Senegal had only won two Ballon d’Or awards before the arrival of the Al Nassr player. El Hadji Diouf, a former Senegalese darling, won the award in 2001 and 2002. After his magnificent performances at the African Cup of Nations and the World Cup, Diouf won back-to-back Ballon d’Or awards. Thanks to Sadio Mané, Senegal now have four, having won both the 2019 and the last edition.
7. Algeria : (3)
Riyad Mahrez brings a 3rd African Ballon d’Or to the Fennecs after Lakhdar Belloumi (1981) and Rabah Madjer (1987), the scorer of the famous back-heel that won Porto the 87 Champions League. With 17 league goals to his name, Riyad Mahrez has been one of the key players for Leicester, who beat the big teams to the English title last season. And his Premier League peers made no mistake. They voted him the best player in the English league, one of the most competitive in Europe.
8. Egypt : (3)
Egypt is one of Africa’s most successful countries, but is still fifth in the rankings. Egypt is one of the countries that have won the most African Cup of Nations titles. Before the arrival of Mo Salah, it had only one winner, and that was Mahmoud Al-Khatib, who took the trophy in 1983. But Liverpool’s Pharaoh has won back-to-back trophies in 2017 and 2018, a remarkable feat just like his former team-mate.
9. Liberia : (3)
A renowned striker, he won the Ballon d’Or for the best player in Europe in 1995. He is the only Liberian player to win the African Ballon d’Or as well as the Ballon d’Or France Football.
10. Mali : (2)
Salif Keita was the first winner of the African Ballon d’Or in 1970. He began his career with AS Real Bamako, with whom he won the Malian Cup three times, before moving on to Stade Malien.
Frédéric Kanouté won the Ballon d’or africain de l’année 2007 award, becoming the first player to have won this distinction who was born outside Africa. In 2008, Kanouté was named the best foreign player in the history of Sevilla FC by Spanish sports daily As2.
11) RD Congo : 1
12) Guinea: 1
13) Congo: 1
14) Tunisia: 1
15) Zambia: 1
16) Togo: 1
17) Gabon: 1
Countries with the most African Ballon d’Or awards
| N° | Country | Number of Ballons d’Or |
| 1 | Cameroun | 11 |
| 2 | Côte d’Ivoire | 6 |
| 3 | Ghana | 5 |
| 4 | Nigéria | 4 |
| 5 | Maroc | 4 |
| 6 | Sénégal | 4 |
| 7 | Algerie | 3 |
| 8 | Égypte | 3 |
| 9 | Liberia | 3 |
| 10 | Mali | 2 |
| 11 | RD Congo | 1 |
| 12 | Guinée | 1 |
| 13 | Congo | 1 |
| 14 | Tunisie | 1 |
| 15 | Zambie | 1 |
| 16 | Togo | 1 |
| 17 | Gabon | 1 |
The complete list of winners of the African Golden Ball from 1970 to the present day :
1970: Salif Kéita (Mali)
1971: Ibrahim Sunday (Ghana)
1972: Cherif Souleymane (Guinea)
1973: Tshimen Bwanga (Zaire, now DRC)
1974: Paul Moulika (Congo)
1975: Ahmed Faras (Morocco)
1976: Roger Milla (Cameroon)
1977: Tarak Dhiab (Tunisia)
1978: Karim Addul Razak (Ghana)
1979: Thomas Nkono (Cameroon)
1980: Jean Manga Onguene (Cameroon)
1981: Lakhdar Belloumi (Algeria)
1982: Thomas Nkono (Cameroon)
1983: Mahmoud Al-Khatib (Egypt)
1984: Théophile Abéga (Cameroon)
1985: Mohamed Timouni (Morocco)
1986: Badou Zaki (Morocco)
1987: Rabah Madjer (Algeria)
1988: Kalusha Bwalya (Zambia)
1989: George Weah (Liberia)
1990: Roger Milla (Cameroon)
1991: Abedi Pelé (Ghana)
1992 : Abedi Pelé (Ghana)
1993 : Abedi Pelé (Ghana)
1994 : George Weah (Liberia)
1995: George Weah (Liberia) European Golden Ball
1996: Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria)
1997: Victor Ikpeba (Nigeria)
1998: Mustapha Hadji (Morocco)
1999: Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria)
2000: Patrick Mboma (Cameroon)
2001: El Hadji Diouf (Senegal)
2002: El Hadji Diouf (Senegal)
2003 : Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
2004 : Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
2005 : Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
2006 : Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)
2007: Frédéric Kanoute (Mali)
2008: Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo)
2009: Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)
2010: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
2011 : Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast)
2012 : Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast)
2013 : Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast)
2014 : Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast)
2015 : Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon)
2016: Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)
2017: Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
2018 : Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
2019 : Sadio Mané (Senegal)
2022: Sadio Mané (Senegal)
2023: Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)
This list illustrates the wealth of African talent and its global impact on the history of the Ballon d’Or. These nations, with their heroes, have etched their names in the annals of football, leaving a legacy of pride and excellence.
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