While it is well known that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have won multiple Ballon d'Or awards, here all 10 legendary players who have been handed the prestigious accolade more than once.
Click through the gallery above to see 10 footballers who won the Ballon d'Or on more than one occasion!
The 2021 Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held in Paris on Monday night, with the likes of Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema and Jorginho among the favourites for the esteemed individual prize.
Over the past 12 years, the award has been dominated with nominations and wins by Messi and his longstanding rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who have each made history with unprecedented success in the men's category.
While the Argentine has been named the victor of the trophy on a record-breaking six occasions, Ronaldo has celebrated five Ballon d'Or wins, with his first coming as a Manchester United player in 2008.
Messi was crowned the winner for the first time the following year, before going on to cement himself as one of the all-time greats with another three consecutive wins in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Ronaldo broke the former Barcelona forward's streak with brilliance of his own in 2013 and 2014, before Messi claimed his fifth title in 2015. In typical fashion, and with remarkable determination, the Portuguese responded with victories in 2016 and 2017 to draw level with his nemesis.
Then, finally, in 2018, someone other than Messi and Ronaldo was awarded the prize for the first time since 2008 when Luka Modric beat his peers to become the first Croatian to be handed the coveted Golden Ball.
In 2019, it was Messi again who was named the winner, with the 2020 edition being cancelled, perhaps controversially, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before this two-man silverware-laden reign, however, other iconic figures of the beautiful game had established themselves as Ballon d'Or dominators, such as legendary Real Madrid attacker Alfredo Di Stefano, who, in 1959, became the first player to claim the award twice after winning it two years prior.
Later, it was Dutch phenomenon Johan Cruyff who would go on to be the first to be handed the individual accolade three times, with his famous victories coming in 1971, 1973 and 1974 – click through the gallery above to see more players who lifted it more than just once!
The 2021 Ballon d'Or top three has reportedly been leaked:
