Ballon d'Or Feminin: Every winner of women's football's top individual honour
By 90min Staff
The Ballon d'Or was created to honour the best footballer, initially just from Europe but later the world, in 1956.
But it wasn't until 2018 that France Football, the iconic publication that has handed out the award for most of its history, also created a female equivalent - the Ballon d'Or Feminin.
As the women's game continues to grow and grow in popularity, the winners of the award have already become household names of football as a whole.
Here's who is on the Ballon d'Or Feminin roll of honour so far.
2018 - Ada Hegerberg
2nd: Pernille Harder
3rd: Dzsenifer Marozsan
Lyon superstar Ada Hegerberg was a deserving first ever winner of the Ballon d'Or Feminin when she was presented with the trophy in 2018.
Hegerberg had finished the 2017/18 club season with more than 50 goals, including 15 in the Champions League. She had also started 2018/19 in blistering fashion, ensuring she stood out as the very best in 2018.
2019 - Megan Rapinoe
2nd: Lucy Bronze
3rd: Alex Morgan
Megan Rapinoe dominated the headlines on and off the pitch in 2019, making her voice heard in the fight for gender equality and later emerging as the star of the World Cup.
The American scored all four of her country's goals in quarter-final and semi-final wins, as well as in the final. She finished with the World Cup trophy and with individual Golden Ball and Golden Boot prizes.
2020 - No award
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic resulted in France Football deciding not to go ahead with the Ballon d'Or awards in 2020.
Only January and February saw matches played in normal conditions, and even once games resumed, unusual circumstances - such as playing behind closed doors - made judging on normal merits difficult. Some players also saw competitions cancelled, making comparisons unfair.
2021 - Alexia Putellas
2nd Jennifer Hermoso
3rd: Sam Kerr
The 2021 Ballon d'Or Feminin was always likely to go to a Barcelona player after their outstanding treble, capped off with a phenomenal Champions League triumph.
Alexia Putellas was the heartbeat of that success and enjoyed a terrific individual year, registering an astonishing 37 goals and 27 assists. She also inherited the Barcelona captaincy ahead of 2021/22 when Vicky Losada left the club.
2022- Alexia Putellas
2nd: Beth Mead
3rd: Sam Kerr
Fast forward 12 months and Putellas was once again up on stage claiming the Ballon d'Or Feminin - rich reward for another outstanding season with Barcelona.
The standard bearer in the women's game was utterly sensational, captaining Barcelona to a domestic treble during the 2021/22 season. She scored 18 goals and 15 assists as her side won all 30 of their league games - a truly astonishing record - and also chipped with 11 goals in the Champions League.
"I'm very happy to be back here," Putellas remarked on her back-to-back Ballon d'Or wins. "A year ago I was able to win this prize and it pushed me to want to get even better. Without my team-mates this wouldn't have been possible. I want to thank the technical staff and the coach as well. And to thank everyone involved at the club off the pitch."
2023 - Aitana Bonmati
2nd: Sam Kerr
3rd: Salma Paralluelo
Spain and Barcelona star Aitana Bonmati was the leading favourite for the 2023 Ballon d'Or Feminin after triumphs in Liga F, the Women's Champions League and the 2023 Women's World Cup.
Reacting to her win, Bonmati said: "I'm very proud to win the Ballon d'Or. Football is a collective sport so I'd like to extend this prize to my team-mates and staff."
READ THE 2023 BALLON D'OR RANKINGS IN FULL & OTHER AWARD WINS
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