We have surely all imagined, if only for a whimsical moment, what it must be like to win a Ballon d’Or.

To stand there, on that stage, dressed in impressive finery, and peer out to our peers. To modestly accept the warm applause emanating from them and proudly grasp that beautiful golden ball, all while privately acknowledging that this is it: the summit has been reached.

And in that moment, what would we say? First and foremost, gratitude must be shown, to France Football, for facilitating this honour, and to the team-mates and coaching staff who have raised us to such an elevated standard.

But then what? The world is listening. This is our moment.

When revisiting the acceptance speeches of previous Ballon d’Or winners what quickly becomes apparent is there are four main tenets to a good address.

There is the urge to inspire, to use this unique platform to empower.

There is the need to thank loved ones, especially for the sacrifices they made.

There is the necessity to highlight it has not all come easy, a declaration chiefly born of humility, but also because the 15-year-old future Ballon d’Or champion, running themselves exhausted in the pouring rain so as to be noticed and hopefully picked for the next game, is owed that.

And lastly, there is due acknowledgement of the scale of the accomplishment, and the ambition required to make it manifest. Modesty is one thing, but false modesty quite another.

Here are some examples of those four acceptance speech tenets, that have moved and motivated in equal measure.

Inspiration and empowerment

In 2018, Ada Hegerberg became the inaugural winner of the Ballon d'Or Féminin in deserved recognition of an outstanding year with Lyon.

In front of hundreds of her peers, the Norwegian striker spoke with grace on the Grand Palais stage, noting the significance of this new award before departing with the following powerful statement…

"I'd like to leave with some words to young girls all over the world. Please believe in yourselves"

Throughout her illustrious career, Hegerberg has been an active advocate in ensuring the women’s game is left in better shape for future generations and the same is true also of Aitana Bonmati, who in 2023 received her first of two Ballon d’Or trophies.

On that occasion she directly addressed each of her fellow nominees that evening, urging them to continue using their influence for good.

“Finally, congratulations to all the nominees. All of them are great and inspiring footballers. As role models, we have a responsibility on and off the pitch. We should be more than athletes. Keep leading by example and keep fighting for a better, peaceful and more equal world”

Unconditional support (and lifts)  

Family is typically the bedrock on which success is constructed and on many occasions Ballon d’Or winners have recognised this in their finest hour.

In 1998, Zinedine Zidane spoke touchingly of his kith and kin, saying:

"I'm sorry, this is going to be simple. This really moves me, it deeply touches me. I am very happy to have my family and my friends here with me tonight. I want to send a very special hello to my father, who is here in the room, and a big kiss to my grandmother”

Last year, meanwhile, on receiving her award for Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year, Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton illustrated another reason why families are so crucial to a player’s development and subsequent triumphs.

"I'd love to just thank my family, my brother who's here tonight, for all the sacrifices that you made growing up, driving me around everywhere so I can fulfil my dream”

On that same stage, soon after, Ousmane Dembele was crowned the 2026 men’s champion and, after mentioning his support network when growing up, became understandably emotional.

“I wasn’t planning on crying. I wanted to stay strong, and thank everyone, and so on. But as soon as I started talking about my family – the ones who have been there from the beginning – my emotions built up and I had to let them out”

The hard road taken

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Matija Habljak

Data recently undertaken in England revealed that only 1% of children who play organised youth football, go on to be signed by club academies. And of that one per cent only 2% ultimately sign professional forms.

What then are the chances of that player going on to be crowned a Ballon d’Or champion? Should we reverse-engineer that back to childhood it’s reasonable to deem it miniscule beyond all and any expectation.

Talent therefore is merely a given, almost of secondary importance to a rare drive, and capacity to learn and graft, that is elite in itself.

On winning the Ballon d’Or in 2018, Luka Modric – a midfielder gifted with exceptional natural talent, by any metric – said the following….

“The key to my success is difficult to say. Throughout my career, I realized hard work, persistence, and belief in your work are important to show your talent. The best things never come easy. To achieve all this...nothing was easy”

Four years later, his Real Madrid teammate, Karim Benzema, extended on this thought process…

"This makes me really proud, all the work I did, I never gave up. I always had this dream in my mind that everything’s possible. I’m really proud of my journey here, it wasn’t easy, it was difficult, for me and my family”

Ambition is king

Naturally, to reach the very zenith of your occupation ambition must be behind the wheel for every mile of the journey. And not just any common-or-garden degree of ambition. It must be insatiable, never satisfied with one achievement when another lies in sight.

In 2014, Cristiano Ronaldo won his third Ballon d’Or, putting him one behind his great and respected rival Lionel Messi.

Included in a wholly gracious and erudite acceptance speech was an insight into the mentality and mindset of a champion.

“It's an unforgettable moment in my career to win, I never thought of winning this little ball three times. But I don't want to stop now, I hope to catch up to Messi next season. I know it's not something I sleep for, but it's something I have ambition for. Like I said many times, I want to enter the history of football as the best. Day upon day, I continue my path, with the individual and team awards, I will be able to do it”