# Ballon d'Or Winners Bracket, Greatest Footballer Ever

Who is the greatest footballer of all time? With the 2026 Ballon d'Or announced in London on October 26, run a bracket tournament across 70 years of winners, from Stanley Matthews and Cruyff to Messi, Ronaldo, and Dembele. Spin for matchups and crown the definitive GOAT.

## Items on the Wheel

- Stanley Matthews
- Alfredo Di Stefano
- Lev Yashin
- George Best
- Johan Cruyff
- Franz Beckenbauer
- Michel Platini
- Marco van Basten
- Roberto Baggio
- Zinedine Zidane
- Ronaldo Nazario
- Ronaldinho
- Kaka
- Lionel Messi
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Luka Modric
- Karim Benzema
- Rodri
- Ousmane Dembele

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How does the Ballon d'Or bracket work?

Nineteen Ballon d'Or winners enter the bracket. Spin the wheel to draw each head-to-head matchup, vote on the better player with your group, and advance the winner until one footballer is crowned the greatest.

### Which winners are included?

The field spans 70 years of the award, from inaugural winner Stanley Matthews in 1956 through Ousmane Dembele in 2025. Edit the list to drop the older names or add your own picks.

### Why 19 winners instead of 16?

The bracket auto-fills to a clean power-of-two field with byes, so it supports 19 entrants. Remove two names to run a straight 16-game bracket if you prefer.

### What usually wins Ballon d'Or brackets?

Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the runaway favourites, but Cruyff and Zidane steal crowns in every group. Maradona never won the award, so add him manually if you want him in the mix.

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