The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual award in association football, presented annually by France Football since 1956 to honor the best player of the season. Originally restricted to European players, it expanded to include players at European clubs in 1995 and became a fully global prize in 2007. Lionel Messi holds the record with eight wins, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five. Notable historical milestones include Stanley Matthews as the inaugural and oldest winner (at 41 years old), George Weah as the first non-European winner in 1995, and Brazil's Ronaldo as the youngest winner ever (at 21 years old). The award was briefly merged with FIFA's prize as the FIFA Ballon d'Or from 2010 to 2015, and since 2022 it has been judged on a football season rather than a calendar year—with UEFA co-organizing the gala since 2024. The current holder of the award is Ousmane Dembélé, who won its 69th edition in 2025.