Forever the first, and perhaps forever the oldest in history. The inaugural Ballon d'Or winner in 1956, Stanley Matthews is by far the oldest Ballon d'Or winner, men and women combined. The English forward was 41 years, 10 months and 17 days old when he received football's most prestigious individual award. At that time, and until 1995, only Europeans were eligible for the honour.

Messi, the oldest winner of the "global" men's Ballon d'Or

His closest rival in the all-time ranking is also the oldest winner of the globalised era: Lionel Messi. The Argentine claimed his 8th Ballon d'Or in 2023, at 36 years, 3 months and 6 days old. "La Pulga" also sits 4th on this list with his 7th Ballon d'Or in 2021, won at 34 years, 5 months and 5 days old.

Karim Benzema, the 2022 winner, completes the podium. The French striker triumphed at 34 years, 9 months and 29 days old. To fill out the top 5, we turn to the women's Ballon d'Or: Megan Rapinoe, who won in 2019, was crowned at 34 years, 4 months and 28 days old.