The World Cup is approaching its climax. The debate around the Ballon d'Or winner is heating up. But the fight for football's most prestigious individual trophy didn't start in June. It all began in August 2025, at the start of the club season. But do you really have to play for a European team to win the Ballon d'Or?

To answer that question, a bit of history. Created in 1956 by France Football, the Ballon d'Or originally rewarded the best European player playing in a European league. That lasted until 1995, when the trophy went global, while still being reserved for players playing in a European league. But since 2007, there's been no restriction: the Ballon d'Or rewards the best player in the world, full stop.

1/18 for the men, 1/7 for the women

We looked at the last 18 editions to see whether it's realistic for a player to aim for the Ballon d'Or without playing in Europe. Kaka in 2007, Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008, Lionel Messi in 2009, all of them won the UEFA Champions League that year, often seen as the flagship club competition. Luka Modric, Karim Benzema, Rodri, Ousmane Dembélé: all of them were playing in Europe at the time of their crowning.

Only one player was based outside Europe when he lifted the Ballon d'Or: Lionel Messi in 2023. At the time of the 67th ceremony, on October 30, 2023, the Argentine was already playing for Inter Miami. The eight-time winner thus became the first male winner representing a non-European club.

That said, this needs some nuance, since the Ballon d'Or has been judged on the season (from August 1 to July 31) rather than the calendar year since 2022. That means that, for the club portion, our jury based their judgment on Messi's performances with Paris Saint-Germain, the club the newly-crowned world champion left in the summer of 2023.

Yes, it's entirely possible to win the Ballon d'Or without playing for a European club. It just looks harder in light of history, but the growing strength of certain leagues outside Europe are shaking things up. On the women's side, one player has managed it: Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC) in 2019. Nothing is impossible when it comes to the Ballon d'Or. Anyone, regardless of their league, can technically claim it.