REVISITED BIG SOCCER'S BALLON D'OR AWARDS THROUGH TIME Final version 32 so far (1870-2023):1870: Kinnaird, Baker, Alcock, Nepean, Whelan 1871: Alcock, Kinnaird, Walker, Clegg J, Baker 1872: Alcock (2), Chenery, Thompson, Vidal/Clegg/Walker 1873: Kinnaird (2), Clegg J, W Ker, Weir, Chenery 1874: Weir , McNiel, Owen, Gardner, Wood 1875: McNiel , Kinnaird, Renny-Tailyour, MacKinnon, Wollaston 1876: MacKinnon, McNiel, Highet, Birley, Weir 1877: Weir (2), Rawson, C Campbell/McNiel, Ferguson 1878: McNiel (2), C Campbell, Mc Dougall, MacKinnon, McIntyre 1879: Bailey, McNiel, Mosforth, Bambridge, Vallance 1880: G Ker , Bailey, Bambridge, Mosforth, Neill 1881: G Ker (2), Watson, J Smith, C Campbell, Davidson 1882 Watson, Harrower, G Ker, Hunter, C Campbell 1883 Holm, Kay, J Smith, Cobbold, Arnott 1884: Arnott, C Campbell, J Smith , Bailey, Anderson 1885: Cobbold, Brown, Anderson, Hunter, Bambridge 1886: N Ross, Cobbold, Arnott, Lindley, Dewhurst 1887: Hunter, Cobbold, N Ross, Dewhurst, Arnott 1888: N Ross (2), Goodall, Howarth, Gordon, Arnott 1889: Gordon, Goodall, Bassett, J Ross, Kelly 1890: N Ross (3), J Ross, Arnott, Robertson, Trainer 1891: Chadwick, Southworth, N Ross, Milward, Arnott 1892: Bassett, Wilson, MacMahon, Jonny Campbell, Doig 1893: Jonny Campbell, J Ross, Wilson, Bassett, Doig 1894: Reynolds, Doyle, Goodall, Bassett, Hannah 1895: Jonny Campbell (2), Doig, Reynolds, Hannah, Bassett 1896: G Smith, Goodall, Cowan, Gibson, Doig 1897: Needham, Cowan/Athersmith, Spencer, Bloomer 1898: Needham (2), G Smith, Doyle, Forman, Bloomer 1899: Hamilton, Bloomer, G Smith, Crabtree, Needham 1900: A Smith, McColl, John Campbell, G Smith, Gibson 1901: Walker, Hamilton, Raisbeck, Bloomer, Needham 1902: Doig, Forman/Robertson, Walker, Raisbeck 1903: Walker (2), Robertson, Raisbeck, Aitken, Crompton 1904: Meredith, Burgress/Hamilton, Bloomer, Crawshaw 1905: Meredith (2), Leake, Roose, Aitken, Bache 1906: Raisbeck, Crompton, Veitch,Aitken, Roose 1907: Meredith (3), Crompton, Bloomer, Veitch, Roose 1908: Meredith (4), Crompton, Rutherford, Roberts, Woodward 1909: Meredith (5), Wedlock, Crompton, Quinn/Woodward 1910: McMenemy, Hardy, McWilliam, Hampton/Quinn/Crompton 1911: Roberts, McMenemy, A Smith / Meredith, Schlosser 1912: Crompton, Holley, Pennington, Williamson, Walker 1913: Holley, Hardy, Buchan, Hampton, Schlosser 1914: Crompton (2), McMenemy, Hardy, Ohaco/ Patsy Gallacher 1915: Patsy Gallacher, Roberts, McMenemy, Hardy, Romano/Crompton/Ohaco 1916: Patsy Gallacher (2), McMenemy, Gradin, Buchan, Piendibene 1917: Schlosser, Schaffer, Cringan / Scarone, Patsy Gallacher 1918: Schaffer, Patsy Gallacher, McNair, Konrad, Scarone 1919: Schaffer (2), Friedenreich, Scarone, Konrad, Morton 1920: Orth, Romano, Pesek, Kelly, Scarone 1921: Orth (2), Morton / Pesek, Friedenreich, Kelly 1922: Orth (3), Seoane, Paulino Alcantara, Pesek, Morton 1923: Morton, Scarone, Buchan / Pesek, Orth 1924: Andrade, Petrone, Scarone, Max Abegglen, Rydell / Nasazzi 1925: Scarone, Morton, Samitier, Hughie Gallacher, Seoane1926: Jackson, Andrade, Scarone / Seoane, Tarasconi 1927: Pesek, Hughie Gallacher, Dean, Andrade, McGrory / Monti 1928: Dean, Jackson, Baloncieri, Orsi, Takacs 1929: Morton (2), Jackson, Zamora, Ferreira, Avar 1930: Meazza, Nasazzi, Hughie Gallacher, Smistik, Avar 1931: Orsi, James, Meazza, Gschweidl, Sindelar 1932: Sindelar, Orsi, Schall, Dean / James 1933: Sindelar (2), Meazza, Orsi, Bastin , Zamora 1934: Meazza (2), Nejedly, Sindelar, Monti, Orsi 1935: Sarosi, Braine, Bastin, Sindelar, Meazza 1936: Meazza (3), Sindelar, Sarosi, Bastin, Nejedly 1937: Sarosi (2), Piola, Erico, Sastre, Moreno 1938: Sarosi (3), Leonidas, Erico, Meazza, Bican 1939: Erico, Zsengeller, Lawton, Sastre, Matthews 1940: Leonidas, Bican, Sastre, Binder, Erico 1941: Moreno, Sastre, Pedernera, Garcia, Binder 1942: Moreno (2), Pedernera, O.Varela, Bican, Lawton 1943: Zizinho, S.Varela, Matthews, Sastre, Pedernera 1944: Zizinho (2), Bican, Lawton, Matthews, Sosa 1945: Martino, Mendez, Lawton / Matthews, Pedernera 1946: Pedernera, Pontoni, Martino, Deak, Labruna / Matthews 1947: V.Mazzola, Di Stefano, Moreno, Mannion, Lawton 1948: Matthews, Puskas, V.Mazzola, Nordahl, Gren 1949: Ademir, Deak, Zizinho, Puskas, V.Mazzola 1950: Ademir (2), Puskas, Zizinho, O.Varela, Schiaffino 1951: Nordahl, Liedholm, Di Stefano, Wilkes, Gren 1952: Puskas, Kubala, Kocsis, Bozsik, Di Stefano / Schiaffino 1953: Puskas (2), Hidegkuti, Kopa, Matthews, Walter 1954: Kocsis, Walter, Puskas, Schiaffino, Di Stefano 1955: Di Stefano, Kopa, Puskas, Schiaffino, Kocsis 1956: Di Stefano (2), Kopa, Schiaffino, Julinho, Matthews 1957: Di Stefano (3), Didi, Kopa, Sivori, Edwards 1958: Pelé, Didi, Kopa, Di Stefano, Fontaine 1959: Di Stefano (4), Pelé, Luis Suarez Miramontes, Didi, Kopa 1960: Puskas (3), Luis Suarez Miramontes, Pelé, Di Stefano, Yashin 1961: Pelé (2), Sivori, Garrincha, Luis Suarez Miramontes, Spencer 1962: Garrincha, Pelé, Masopust, Eusebio, Puskas / Coutinho 1963: Pelé (3), Rivera, Greaves, Yashin, Eusebio 1964: Pelé (4), Luis Suarez Miramontes, Law, Eusebio, Amancio 1965: Pelé (5), Eusebio, Luis Suarez Miramontes, Facchetti, S.Mazzola 1966: Eusebio, Charlton, Beckenbauer, Moore, Albert 1967: Albert, Johnstone, Charlton, Cruyff, Rocha 1968: Best, Charlton, Dzajic, Eusebio, Pelé 1969: Rivera, Pelé, Riva / Tostao, Cruyff 1970: Pelé (6), Muller, Jairzinho, Tostao, Cruyff 1971: Cruyff, Best, Beckenbauer, S. Mazzola, Artime 1972: Cruyff (2), Beckenbauer, Muller, Netzer, Jairzinho 1973: Cruyff (3), Muller, Beckenbauer, Zoff, Rivera 1974: Cruyff (4), Beckenbauer, Deyna, Muller, Neeskens 1975: Blokhin, Beckenbauer, Figueroa, Cruyff, Alonso 1976: Beckenbauer, Rensenbrink, Figueroa, Zico, Passarella 1977: Keegan, Cruyff, Simonsen, Zico, Platini 1978: Kempes, Rensenbrink, Dalglish, Rossi, Krankl / Passarella / Keegan 1979: Maradona, Zico, Keegan, Falcao, Rummenigge 1980 Maradona (2), Rummenigge, Zico, Schuster, Platini 1981: Zico, Rummenigge, Maradona, Platini, Breitner 1982: Zico (2), Falcao, Rossi, Rummenigge, Giresse 1983: Platini, Falcao, Zico, Dalglish, Socrates 1984: Platini (2), Tigana, Rush, Zico, Falcao 1985: Platini (3), Maradona, Elkjaer, Schuster, Boniek 1986: Maradona (3), Lineker, Belanov, Careca, Platini 1987: Maradona (4), Gullit, Futre, van Basten, H.Sanchez 1988: Gullit, van Basten, Maradona, Koeman, Rijkaard 1989: van Basten, Maradona, Baresi, Matthaus, Bebeto 1990: Matthaus, Maradona, Baresi, Brehme, Schillaci / van Basten 1991: Papin, Matthaus, Savicevic, Pancev, Prosinecki 1992: van Basten (2), M.Laudrup, Stoichkov, Bergkamp, Schmeichel 1993: Baggio, Bergkamp, Romario, M.Laudrup, Cantona 1994; Romario, Stoichkov, Baggio, Maldini, Hagi 1995: Litmanen, Weah, Klinsmann, M.Laudrup, Maldini 1996: Sammer, Ronaldo, Shearer / Weah, Del Piero 1997: Ronaldo, Zidane, R Carlos, Bergkamp, Mijatovic 1998: Zidane, Ronaldo, Bergkamp, Suker, Del Piero 1999: Rivaldo, Beckham, Shevchenko, Batistuta, Figo 2000: Zidane (2), Figo, Shevchenko, Rivaldo, Totti 2001: Figo, Raul, Owen, Kahn, Zidane 2002: Zidane (3), Ronaldo, Ballack, R Carlos, Kahn 2003: Henry, Nedved, Zidane, Maldini, van Nistelrooy 2004: Henry (2), Ronaldinho, Shevchenko, Deco, Nedved 2005: Ronaldinho, Lampard, Gerrard, Henry, Adriano 2006: Ronaldinho (2), Cannavaro, Henry, Zidane, Buffon 2007: Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Drogba, Totti 2008: Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, F Torres, Xavi, Casillas 2009: Messi, Xavi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Iniesta, Eto'o 2010: Messi (2), Sneijder, Xavi, Iniesta, Cristiano Ronaldo 2011: Messi (3), Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi, Iniesta, Rooney 2012: Messi (4), Cristiano Ronaldo, Iniesta, Xavi, Pirlo 2013: Cristiano Ronaldo (2), Messi, Ribery, Ibrahimovic, Robben 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo (3), Messi, Neuer, Robben, Suarez 2015: Messi (5), Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Suarez, Lewandowski 2016: Cristiano Ronaldo (4), Messi, Suarez, Griezmann, Neymar 2017: Cristiano Ronaldo (5), Messi, Neymar, Modric, Buffon 2018: Cristiano Ronaldo (6), Modric, Messi, Salah, Griezmann 2019: Messi (6), van Djik, Mané, Cristiano Ronaldo, Salah 2020: Lewandowski, Messi, De Bruyne, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mbappé 2021: Messi (7), Lewandowski, Kanté, Benzema, De Bruyne 2022: Benzema, Mbappé, Salah, De Bruyne, Lewandowski 2023: Haaland, Messi, Mbappé, De Bruyne, Vinicius Jr Number of win for each winners of the Ballon d'Or over the period 1870-2023 so far: - Messi (7) - Pelé (6) - Cristiano Ronaldo (6) - Meredith (5) - Di Stefano (4) - Cruyff (4) - Maradona (4) - N Ross (3) - Orth (3) - Meazza (3) - Sarosi (3) - Puskas (3) - Platini (3) - Zidane (3) - Alcock (2) - Kinnaird (2) - Weir (2) - Geordie Ker (2) - McNiel (2) - Jonny Campbell (2) - Needham (2) - Walker (2) - Crompton (2) - Patsy Gallacher (2) - Schaffer (2) - Morton (2) - Sindelar (2) - Moreno (2) - Zizinho (2) - Ademir (2) - Zico (2) - van Basten (2) - Henry (2) - Ronaldinho (2) - MacKinnon (1) - Bailey (1) - Watson (1) - Holm (1) - Arnott (1) - Cobbold (1) - Hunter (1) - Gordon (1) - Chadwick (1) - Bassett (1) - Reynolds (1) - G Smith (1) - Hamilton (1) - A Smith (1) - Doig (1) - Raisbeck (1) - McMenemy (1) - Roberts (1) - Holley (1) - Schlosser (1) - Andrade (1) - Scarone (1) - Jackson (1) - Pesek (1) - Dean (1) - Orsi (1) - Erico (1) - Leonidas (1) - Martino (1) - Pedernera (1) - Mazzola (1) - Matthews (1) - Nordahl (1) - Kocsis (1) - Garrincha (1) - Eusebio (1) - Albert (1) - Best (1) - Blokhin (1) - Beckenbauer (1) - Keegan (1) - Kempes (1) - Gullit (1) - Matthaus (1) - Papin (1) - Baggio (1) - Romario (1) - Litmanen (1) - Rivaldo (1)- Figo (1) - Ronaldo (1) - Kaka (1) - Lewandowski (1) - Benzema (1) - Haaland (1) If we extend to the number of times listed in the top 5 (and among top 3), we find the above players in more numbers of times mentioned so far (with a minimum of 6 nominations): - Messi (16 times with 16 times among top 3) - Cristiano Ronaldo (14 times with 11 times among top 3) - Pelé (11 times with 10 times among top 3) - Di Stefano (10 times with 6 times among top 3) - Maradona (9 times with 9 times among top 3) - Crompton (9 times with 6 times among top 3) - Cruyff (9 times with 5 times among top 3) - Scarone (8 times with 6 times among top 3) - Puskas (8 times with 6 times among top 3) - Zico (8 times with 5 times among top 3) - Matthews (8 times with 3 times among top 3) - Beckenbauer (7 times with 7 times among top 3) - Zidane (7 times with 5 times among top 3) - Meazza (7 times with 5 times among top 3) - Arnott (7 times with 3 times among top 3) - Platini (7 times with 3 times among top 3) - McNiel (6 times with 6 time among top 3) - Meredith (6times with 5 times among top 3) - Kopa (6 times with 5 times among top 3) - Morton (6 times with 4 times among top 3) - Sindelar (6 times with 4 times among top 3) I haven't done the pre-1940 classification, because I'm waiting for your complete @PDG1978 classification, unless you've already done it, in which case I apologize. Pre-1940 periods in pink. Highlight changes in light blue, after new voters. The two main news items are that Pelé lost 1 Ballon d'Or (1969), putting him behind Messi (7) in the number of Ballon d'Or wins. Zidane recovers 2 Ballon d'Or for a total of 3, with Figo and Ronaldo losing one each.
.... caramba ... that's incredible your votes ..at all ... you did vote ... even ... in 1899 ... is pretty amazing at all .. yes ... has year really much more polemic and harder to vote ..in them ..
Actually he did have a very good season (but yes, still a declined player in some respects; physically in terms of speed and movement and in terms of attacking threat...but not too much and still having a very good level of play). He was among the highest rated players in terms of Premier League journalist match ratings, and was among the contenders for the Football Writers Player of the Year award. He played initially as a sweeper, but then Glenn Hoddle came to the realisation it'd be more useful to play him as a midfielder Glenn Hoddle exclusive: "I wanted to turn Ruud Gullit into a sweeper at Chelsea but it didn't work out" | FourFourTwo (Note: that doesn't mean Hoddle always/mostly played as sweeper at Monaco himself - at Swindon Town he did though) Ruud Gullit rocked the Premier League excerpt from Michael Cox The Mixer - ESPN (That article is wrong about games played I see though - he played 31 Premier League games, plus several cup games too) You already know about him playing sweeper at Haarlem, and then sometimes at PSV, I am sure of course (being such a Gullit fan)! For this 1995/96 season I have the advantage of being English of course. In the tables here you can see Gullit is in the 1995/96 team of the season according to Match magazine ratings (with the 2nd highest average), and also that he came 2nd in that Football Writers award voting https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/p...ivision-ratings.2037606/page-43#post-42163529 After that season he became 'player manager' in theory, but mainly concentrated on being the manager, not playing. EDIT - Not only Match magazine, but also the source/s used by DBS Calcio (maybe The Independent newspaper) had Gullit among the top few 1995/96 Premier League players in average ratings (journalist marks out of 10 for each performance).
No, I haven't done it mate, and I thought you would have seen that I said I would do in the summer. I'm not angry about your comment, just clarifying. But at this point (after the new votes) I decided from my point of view it is best to wait. I hope that it will be worth waiting for to have a detailed summary for those years finally though (when I can set aside time to concentrate fully on it and not rush myself like I said before - which could make me annoyed and also make me more likely to make mistakes). It will be the biggest and most complex task of the thread I guess (partly because I don't know the player names very well and at this moment we don't have full names showing on the thread - but you did help with providing links to where I need to be looking which for sure I appreciate - like I said I think we have been a good team in making the summaries and certainly you have done well creating and running the thread in general).
Nice work putting the resulting changes (from the new votes) in light blue @IceBlood34 too! I think your idea re: highlighting these things has been a good development in the thread as well.
I will check later to remind myself (and make sure I didn't forget to update something), but maybe the 1920s and 1930s shouldn't need to be in pink @IceBlood34 I wasn't intending (or feeling the need) to wait re: those decades anyway - we have some recent summaries, but if I forgot to refresh them to update them I'll correct that later. It might be you're just using 1940 as the cut-off between 'old times' and 'modern' (TV era) in your summaries though I guess....
Actually I had a look already, and I think if nobody else voted on any year/season before 1947 since Gutigut added his choices (I think that's the case as Gabriel and Wiliam voted from 1947 onwards) then these should be correct and up-to-date still for the 1920s and 1930s @IceBlood34 shouldn't they: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/b...bigsoccer-users.2119696/page-77#post-42170330 https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/b...bigsoccer-users.2119696/page-77#post-42178239 It has been confusing for us all I guess anyway, but I only need to re-do/check everything for the pre-1920s period I think, so those 1920s and 1930s lists (I think) should be able to be taken as the current (and final probably) standings shouldn't they? Maybe a summary with those in the main list (not in pink), but all pre-1920s years excluded at this point would be best for now overall? Because I had a feeling looking at things before that there were some mix-ups in some of the provisional 1910s lists for example, so they might be a bit misleading potentially at this moment....
........ Is pretty cool man ... your informations ... yes i knew it ... Eric Cantona and Ryan Giggs ... was rated ... higher than Gullit .... But ... yes Gullit Long Pass always was amazing .... to give pre-assists ... or looking for another flank ... backspin .. turning the ball at the right place and at the right time .... yes ... Eric Cantona was the best in this season .
Shevchenko won the Ballon d'or in 04 which was a fair call I believe, what really hurt Henry was his performances in CL as Arsenal lost to an average Chelsea, then France's huge shock to Greece, he would have been heavy favourite otherwise. I have always found the FIFA award a popularity award, big names win rather than who was most deserving, sadly something the Ballon d'or has now begun.
................... Perfect Vision ..... yes ... since Ballon D'or ( France Football magazine ) ... joining The Fifa .. ... becoming ... the most commercial marketing Award ... even .... gettting wrong so many many times ... ! But in average ... Henry was slightly better than ..Ronaldinho Gaucho . in 2003/04 ... ++++ 2004 ... even Drogba ..was better than Ronaldinho ... but the media don't wish that ... so ... won Ronaldinho .Gaucho and Nike... Barcelona ..
REVISITED BIG SOCCER'S BALLON D'OR AWARDS THROUGH TIME Final version 32 so far (1870-2023): 1870: Kinnaird, Baker, Alcock, Nepean, Whelan 1871: Alcock, Kinnaird, Walker, Clegg J, Baker 1872: Alcock (2), Chenery, Thompson, Vidal/Clegg/Walker 1873: Kinnaird (2), Clegg J, W Ker, Weir, Chenery 1874: Weir , McNiel, Owen, Gardner, Wood 1875: McNiel , Kinnaird, Renny-Tailyour, MacKinnon, Wollaston 1876: MacKinnon, McNiel, Highet, Birley, Weir 1877: Weir (2), Rawson, C Campbell/McNiel, Ferguson 1878: McNiel (2), C Campbell, Mc Dougall, MacKinnon, McIntyre 1879: Bailey, McNiel, Mosforth, Bambridge, Vallance 1880: G Ker , Bailey, Bambridge, Mosforth, Neill 1881: G Ker (2), Watson, J Smith, C Campbell, Davidson 1882 Watson, Harrower, G Ker, Hunter, C Campbell 1883 Holm, Kay, J Smith, Cobbold, Arnott 1884: Arnott, C Campbell, J Smith , Bailey, Anderson 1885: Cobbold, Brown, Anderson, Hunter, Bambridge 1886: N Ross, Cobbold, Arnott, Lindley, Dewhurst 1887: Hunter, Cobbold, N Ross, Dewhurst, Arnott 1888: N Ross (2), Goodall, Howarth, Gordon, Arnott 1889: Gordon, Goodall, Bassett, J Ross, Kelly 1890: N Ross (3), J Ross, Arnott, Robertson, Trainer 1891: Chadwick, Southworth, N Ross, Milward, Arnott 1892: Bassett, Wilson, MacMahon, Jonny Campbell, Doig 1893: Jonny Campbell, J Ross, Wilson, Bassett, Doig 1894: Reynolds, Doyle, Goodall, Bassett, Hannah 1895: Jonny Campbell (2), Doig, Reynolds, Hannah, Bassett 1896: G Smith, Goodall, Cowan, Gibson, Doig 1897: Needham, Cowan/Athersmith, Spencer, Bloomer 1898: Needham (2), G Smith, Doyle, Forman, Bloomer 1899: Hamilton, Bloomer, G Smith, Crabtree, Needham 1900: A Smith, McColl, John Campbell, G Smith, Gibson 1901: Walker, Hamilton, Raisbeck, Bloomer, Needham 1902: Doig, Forman/Robertson, Walker, Raisbeck 1903: Walker (2), Robertson, Raisbeck, Aitken, Crompton 1904: Meredith, Burgress/Hamilton, Bloomer, Crawshaw 1905: Meredith (2), Leake, Roose, Aitken, Bache 1906: Raisbeck, Crompton, Veitch,Aitken, Roose 1907: Meredith (3), Crompton, Bloomer, Veitch, Roose 1908: Meredith (4), Crompton, Rutherford, Roberts, Woodward 1909: Meredith (5), Wedlock, Crompton, Quinn/Woodward 1910: McMenemy, Hardy, McWilliam, Hampton/Quinn/Crompton 1911: Roberts, McMenemy, A Smith / Meredith, Schlosser 1912: Crompton, Holley, Pennington, Williamson, Walker 1913: Holley, Hardy, Buchan, Hampton, Schlosser 1914: Crompton (2), McMenemy, Hardy, Ohaco/ Patsy Gallacher 1915: Patsy Gallacher, Roberts, McMenemy, Hardy, Romano/Crompton/Ohaco 1916: Patsy Gallacher (2), McMenemy, Gradin, Buchan, Piendibene 1917: Schlosser, Schaffer, Cringan / Scarone, Patsy Gallacher 1918: Schaffer, Patsy Gallacher, McNair, Konrad, Scarone 1919: Schaffer (2), Friedenreich, Scarone, Konrad, Morton 1920: Orth, Romano, Pesek, Kelly / Morris 1921: Orth (2), Pesek, Morton, Kelly, Friedenreich 1922: Orth (3), Seoane, Paulino Alcantara, Pesek, Morton 1923: Morton, Buchan, Scarone, Pesek, Orth 1924: Andrade, Petrone, Scarone, Max Abegglen, Nasazzi 1925: Scarone, Morton, Samitier, Hughie Gallacher, Seoane 1926: Jackson, Andrade, Scarone, Seoane, Zamora 1927: Pesek, Hughie Gallacher, Dean, McGrory, Monti 1928: Dean, Jackson, Baloncieri, Orsi, Takacs 1929: Morton (2), Jackson, Ferreira, Zamora, Hughie Gallacher 1930: Meazza, Nasazzi, Hughie Gallacher, Smistik, Avar 1931: Orsi, James, Meazza, Gschweidl, Sindelar 1932: Sindelar, Orsi, Schall, Dean, James 1933: Sindelar (2), Meazza, Orsi, Bastin , James 1934: Meazza (2), Nejedly, Sindelar, Monti, Orsi 1935: Sarosi, Braine, Bastin, Sindelar, Drake 1936: Meazza (3), Sindelar, Sarosi, Bastin, Nejedly 1937: Sarosi (2), Piola, Erico, Sastre, Moreno 1938: Sarosi (3), Leonidas, Erico / Meazza, Bican 1939: Erico, Zsengeller, Lawton, Sastre, Matthews 1940: Leonidas, Bican, Sastre, Binder, Erico 1941: Moreno, Sastre, Pedernera, Garcia, Binder 1942: Moreno (2), Pedernera, O.Varela, Bican, Lawton 1943: Zizinho, S.Varela, Matthews, Sastre, Pedernera 1944: Zizinho (2), Bican, Lawton, Matthews, Sosa 1945: Martino, Mendez, Lawton / Matthews, Pedernera 1946: Pedernera, Pontoni, Martino, Deak, Labruna / Matthews 1947: V.Mazzola, Di Stefano, Moreno, Mannion, Lawton 1948: Matthews, Puskas, V.Mazzola, Nordahl, Gren 1949: Ademir, Deak, Zizinho, Puskas, V.Mazzola 1950: Ademir (2), Puskas, Zizinho, O.Varela, Schiaffino 1951: Nordahl, Liedholm, Di Stefano, Wilkes, Gren 1952: Puskas, Kubala, Kocsis, Bozsik, Di Stefano / Schiaffino 1953: Puskas (2), Hidegkuti, Kopa, Matthews, Walter 1954: Kocsis, Walter, Puskas, Schiaffino, Di Stefano 1955: Di Stefano, Kopa, Puskas, Schiaffino, Kocsis 1956: Di Stefano (2), Kopa, Schiaffino, Julinho, Matthews 1957: Di Stefano (3), Didi, Kopa, Sivori, Edwards 1958: Pelé, Didi, Kopa, Di Stefano, Fontaine 1959: Di Stefano (4), Pelé, Luis Suarez Miramontes, Didi, Kopa 1960: Puskas (3), Luis Suarez Miramontes, Pelé, Di Stefano, Yashin 1961: Pelé (2), Sivori, Garrincha, Luis Suarez Miramontes, Spencer 1962: Garrincha, Pelé, Masopust, Eusebio, Puskas / Coutinho 1963: Pelé (3), Rivera, Greaves, Yashin, Eusebio 1964: Pelé (4), Luis Suarez Miramontes, Law, Eusebio, Amancio 1965: Pelé (5), Eusebio, Luis Suarez Miramontes, Facchetti, S.Mazzola 1966: Eusebio, Charlton, Beckenbauer, Moore, Albert 1967: Albert, Johnstone, Charlton, Cruyff, Rocha 1968: Best, Charlton, Dzajic, Eusebio, Pelé 1969: Rivera, Pelé, Riva / Tostao, Cruyff 1970: Pelé (6), Muller, Jairzinho, Tostao, Cruyff 1971: Cruyff, Best, Beckenbauer, S. Mazzola, Artime 1972: Cruyff (2), Beckenbauer, Muller, Netzer, Jairzinho 1973: Cruyff (3), Muller, Beckenbauer, Zoff, Rivera 1974: Cruyff (4), Beckenbauer, Deyna, Muller, Neeskens 1975: Blokhin, Beckenbauer, Figueroa, Cruyff, Alonso 1976: Beckenbauer, Rensenbrink, Figueroa, Zico, Passarella 1977: Keegan, Cruyff, Simonsen, Zico, Platini 1978: Kempes, Rensenbrink, Dalglish, Rossi, Krankl / Passarella / Keegan 1979: Maradona, Zico, Keegan, Falcao, Rummenigge 1980 Maradona (2), Rummenigge, Zico, Schuster, Platini 1981: Zico, Rummenigge, Maradona, Platini, Breitner 1982: Zico (2), Falcao, Rossi, Rummenigge, Giresse 1983: Platini, Falcao, Zico, Dalglish, Socrates 1984: Platini (2), Tigana, Rush, Zico, Falcao 1985: Platini (3), Maradona, Elkjaer, Schuster, Boniek 1986: Maradona (3), Lineker, Belanov, Careca, Platini 1987: Maradona (4), Gullit, Futre, van Basten, H.Sanchez 1988: Gullit, van Basten, Maradona, Koeman, Rijkaard 1989: van Basten, Maradona, Baresi, Matthaus, Bebeto 1990: Matthaus, Maradona, Baresi, Brehme, Schillaci / van Basten 1991: Papin, Matthaus, Savicevic, Pancev, Prosinecki 1992: van Basten (2), M.Laudrup, Stoichkov, Bergkamp, Schmeichel 1993: Baggio, Bergkamp, Romario, M.Laudrup, Cantona 1994; Romario, Stoichkov, Baggio, Maldini, Hagi 1995: Litmanen, Weah, Klinsmann, M.Laudrup, Maldini 1996: Sammer, Ronaldo, Shearer / Weah, Del Piero 1997: Ronaldo, Zidane, R Carlos, Bergkamp, Mijatovic 1998: Zidane, Ronaldo, Bergkamp, Suker, Del Piero 1999: Rivaldo, Beckham, Shevchenko, Batistuta, Figo 2000: Zidane (2), Figo, Shevchenko, Rivaldo, Totti 2001: Figo, Raul, Owen, Kahn, Zidane 2002: Zidane (3), Ronaldo, Ballack, R Carlos, Kahn 2003: Henry, Nedved, Zidane, Maldini, van Nistelrooy 2004: Henry (2), Ronaldinho, Shevchenko, Deco, Nedved 2005: Ronaldinho, Lampard, Gerrard, Henry, Adriano 2006: Ronaldinho (2), Cannavaro, Henry, Zidane, Buffon 2007: Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Drogba, Totti 2008: Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, F Torres, Xavi, Casillas 2009: Messi, Xavi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Iniesta, Eto'o 2010: Messi (2), Sneijder, Xavi, Iniesta, Cristiano Ronaldo 2011: Messi (3), Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi, Iniesta, Rooney 2012: Messi (4), Cristiano Ronaldo, Iniesta, Xavi, Pirlo 2013: Cristiano Ronaldo (2), Messi, Ribery, Ibrahimovic, Robben 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo (3), Messi, Neuer, Robben, Suarez 2015: Messi (5), Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Suarez, Lewandowski 2016: Cristiano Ronaldo (4), Messi, Suarez, Griezmann, Neymar 2017: Cristiano Ronaldo (5), Messi, Neymar, Modric, Buffon 2018: Cristiano Ronaldo (6), Modric, Messi, Salah, Griezmann 2019: Messi (6), van Djik, Mané, Cristiano Ronaldo, Salah 2020: Lewandowski, Messi, De Bruyne, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mbappé 2021: Messi (7), Lewandowski, Kanté, Benzema, De Bruyne 2022: Benzema, Mbappé, Salah, De Bruyne, Lewandowski 2023: Haaland, Messi, Mbappé, De Bruyne, Vinicius Jr Number of win for each winners of the Ballon d'Or over the period 1870-2023 so far: - Messi (7) - Pelé (6) - Cristiano Ronaldo (6) - Meredith (5) - Di Stefano (4) - Cruyff (4) - Maradona (4) - N Ross (3) - Orth (3) - Meazza (3) - Sarosi (3) - Puskas (3) - Platini (3) - Zidane (3) - Alcock (2) - Kinnaird (2) - Weir (2) - Geordie Ker (2) - McNiel (2) - Jonny Campbell (2) - Needham (2) - Walker (2) - Crompton (2) - Patsy Gallacher (2) - Schaffer (2) - Morton (2) - Sindelar (2) - Moreno (2) - Zizinho (2) - Ademir (2) - Zico (2) - van Basten (2) - Henry (2) - Ronaldinho (2) - MacKinnon (1) - Bailey (1) - Watson (1) - Holm (1) - Arnott (1) - Cobbold (1) - Hunter (1) - Gordon (1) - Chadwick (1) - Bassett (1) - Reynolds (1) - G Smith (1) - Hamilton (1) - A Smith (1) - Doig (1) - Raisbeck (1) - McMenemy (1) - Roberts (1) - Holley (1) - Schlosser (1) - Andrade (1) - Scarone (1) - Jackson (1) - Pesek (1) - Dean (1) - Orsi (1) - Erico (1) - Leonidas (1) - Martino (1) - Pedernera (1) - Mazzola (1) - Matthews (1) - Nordahl (1) - Kocsis (1) - Garrincha (1) - Eusebio (1) - Albert (1) - Best (1) - Blokhin (1) - Beckenbauer (1) - Keegan (1) - Kempes (1) - Gullit (1) - Matthaus (1) - Papin (1) - Baggio (1) - Romario (1) - Litmanen (1) - Rivaldo (1) - Figo (1) - Ronaldo (1) - Kaka (1) - Lewandowski (1) - Benzema (1) - Haaland (1) If we extend to the number of times listed in the top 5 (and among top 3), we find the above players in more numbers of times mentioned so far (with a minimum of 6 nominations): - Messi (16 times with 16 times among top 3) - Cristiano Ronaldo (14 times with 11 times among top 3) - Pelé (11 times with 10 times among top 3) - Di Stefano (10 times with 6 times among top 3) - Maradona (9 times with 9 times among top 3) - Crompton (9 times with 6 times among top 3) - Cruyff (9 times with 5 times among top 3) - Puskas (8 times with 6 times among top 3) - Zico (8 times with 5 times among top 3) - Matthews (8 times with 3 times among top 3) - Beckenbauer (7 times with 7 times among top 3) - Scarone (7 times with 6 times among top 3) - Zidane (7 times with 5 times among top 3) - Arnott (7 times with 3 times among top 3) - Platini (7 times with 3 times among top 3) - McNiel (6 times with 6 time among top 3) - Meazza (6 times with 6 times among top 3) - Meredith (6times with 5 times among top 3) - Kopa (6 times with 5 times among top 3) - Morton (6 times with 4 times among top 3) - Sindelar (6 times with 4 times among top 3) In view of what you told me earlier @PDG1978 , I've taken up your update from the 1920s and 1930s! All we have to do now is deal with the pre-1920s, and we'll be up to date.
....... How do you feel or How do you find the right criterios ... to analize older eras of the football , mainly before 40's ???????? dear friend ... has a very few images on Tv ?????
I see that there were very important changes in the votes. I'm waiting for the final results to publish it. @IceBlood34 @PDG1978
1996-97 1.- Ronaldo; 2.- Roberto Carlos; 3.- Zidane; 4.- Raúl; 5.- Zola I would like to make a comment, a curious one to say the least. It may come as a surprise to many that I put Zola above Bergkamp, which is quite understandable, as in most of the major polls he is clearly above Bergkamp. However, it is striking that Bergkamp only got one vote all season in the ESM monthly teams, light years ahead of Zola's mentions. This narrowly missed the Dutchman out of the Top 5 this season in my statistical calculations. Me gustaría hacer un comentario, cuanto menos curioso. A muchos les podrá sorprender que ponga a Zola por encima de Bergkamp, algo muy comprensible, pues en la mayoría de las encuestas principales está claramente por encima. Sin embargo llama poderosamente la atención de que Bergkamp solo obtuvo un voto en toda la temporada en los equipos mensuales de la ESM, encontrándose a años luz de las menciones que obtuvo Zola. Esto hizo que por poco margen, en mis cálculos estadísticos, el holandés quedara fuera del Top 5 de esta temporada.
Re-post of the 1990s standings, with minor adjustments after Titanlux's final top 5 placings for the 1997 edition: 1990 Ballon d'Or Revisited Big Soccer# panel consensus 1 Lothar Matthaus (W.Germany/Inter Milan) - 206 2 Diego Maradona (Argentina/Napoli) - 126 3 Franco Baresi (Italy/AC Milan) - 82 4 Andreas Brehme (W.Germany/Inter Milan) - 55 5 Salvatore Schillaci (Italy/Juventus), Marco van Basten (Netherlands/AC Milan) - 21 7 Paul Gascoigne (England/Tottenham Hotspur) - 17 8 Roberto Baggio (Italy/Fiorentina/Juventus) - 6 9 Sergio Goycochea (Argentina/Millonarios/Racing Club de Avellanados), Frank Rijkaard (Netherlands/AC Milan), Hugo Sanchez (Mexico/Real Madrid), Dragan Stojkovic (Yugoslavia/Red Star Belgrade/Marseille) - 3 13 Roberto Donadoni (Italy/AC Milan), Jurgen Klinsmann (W.Germany/Inter Milan), Jean-Pierre Papin (France/Marseille) - 2 16 John Barnes (England/Liverpool), Bebeto (Brazil/Vasco da Gama), Guido Buchwald (W.Germany/Stuttgart), Jurgen Kohler (W.Germany/Bayern Munich), Enzo Scifo (Belgium/Auxerre) - 1 1991 Ballon d'Or Revisited Big Soccer# panel consensus 1 Jean-Pierre Papin (France/Marseille) - 162 2 Lothar Matthaus (Germany/Inter Milan) - 143 3 Dejan Savicevic (Yugoslavia/Red Star Belgrade) - 119 4 Darko Pancev (Yugoslavia/Red Star Belgrade) - 41.5 5 Robert Prosinecki (Yugoslavia/Red Star Belgrade) - 35 6 Roberto Mancini (Italy/Sampdoria) - 12 7 Gianluca Vialli (Italy/Sampdoria) - 11.5 8 Chris Waddle (England/Marseille) - 7.5 9 Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina/Boca Juniors/Fiorentina), Frank Rijkaard (Netherlands/AC Milan) - 5 11 Rai (Brazil/Sao Paulo) - 4 12 Claudio Caniggia (Argentina/Atalanta), Hugo Sanchez (Mexico/Real Madrid) - 2 14 Michael Laudrup (Denmark/Barcelona) - 1.5 15 Stefan Effenberg (Germany/Bayern Munich), Paul Gascoigne (England/Tottenham Hotspur), Romario (Brazil/PSV Eindhoven), Oscar Ruggeri (Argentina/Velez Sarsfield), Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria/Barcelona) - 1 1992 Ballon d'Or Revisited Big Soccer# panel consensus 1 Marco van Basten (Netherlands/AC Milan) - 159 2 Michael Laudrup (Denmark/Barcelona) - 102 3 Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria/Barcelona) - 101 4 Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands/Ajax) - 76 5 Peter Schmeichel (Denmark/Manchester United) - 35 6 Rai (Brazil/Sao Paulo) - 22 7 Ronald Koeman (Netherlands/Barcelona) - 15.5 8 Ruud Gullit (Netherlands/AC Milan) - 5 9 Thomas Hassler (Germany/Roma), Frank Rijkaard (Netherlands/AC Milan) - 4.5 11 Paolo Maldini (Italy/AC Milan) - 4 12 Bebeto (Brazil/Vasco da Gama/Deportivo La Coruna), Brian Laudrup (Denmark/Bayern Munich/Fiorentina) - 3 14 Franco Baresi (Italy/AC Milan), Junior (Brazil/Flamengo) - 1 16 Enzo Scifo (Belgium/Torino) - 0.5 1993 Ballon d'Or Revisited Big Soccer# panel consensus 1 Roberto Baggio (Italy/Juventus) - 207 2 Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands/Ajax/Inter Milan) - 83 3 Romario (Brazil/PSV Eindhoven/Barcelona) - 69 4 Michael Laudrup (Denmark/Barcelona) - 63 5 Eric Cantona (France/Manchester United) - 35 6 Paolo Maldini (Italy/AC Milan) - 17 7 Alen Boksic (Croatia/Marseille/Lazio) - 16 8 Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria/Barcelona) - 13 9 Franco Baresi (Italy/AC Milan) - 10 10 Bebeto (Brazil/Deportivo La Coruna), Carlos Valderrama (Colombia/Independiente Medellin/Atletico Junior) - 5 12 Abedi Pele (Ghana/Marseille/Lyon), Cafu (Brazil/Sao Paulo) - 4 14 Ruud Gullit (Netherlands/AC Milan/Sampdoria) - 3 15 Rai (Brazil/Sao Paulo/Paris St Germain), Giussepe Signori (Italy/Lazio) - 2 17 Basile Boli (France/Marseille) - 1 1994 Ballon d'Or Revisited Big Soccer# panel consensus 1 Romario (Brazil/Barcelona) - 198 2 Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria/Barcelona) - 114 3 Roberto Baggio (Italy/Juventus) - 96 4 Paolo Maldini (Italy/AC Milan) - 71.5 5 Gheorghe Hagi (Romania/Brescia/Barcelona) - 26.5 6 Franco Baresi (Italy/AC Milan) - 6.5 7 Michael Laudrup (Denmark/Barcelona/Real Madrid), Giuseppe Signori (Italy/Lazio) - 5 9 Bebeto (Brazil/Deportivo La Coruna) - 4.5 10 Eric Cantona (France/Manchester United) - 3 11 Ruud Gullit (Netherlands/Sampdoria/AC Milan) - 2.5 12 Jose Luis Chilavert (Paraguay/Velez Sarsfield), Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany/Monaco/Tottenham Hotspur) - 2 14 Tomas Brolin (Sweden/Parma) - 1.5 15 Dejan Savicevic (Yugoslavia/AC Milan) - 1 1995 Ballon d'Or Revisited Big Soccer# panel consensus 1 Jari Litmanen (Finland/Ajax) - 157 2 George Weah (Liberia/Paris St Germain/AC Milan) - 117 3 Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany/Tottenham Hotspur/Bayern Munich) - 68 4 Michael Laudrup (Denmark/Real Madrid) - 52.5 5 Paolo Maldini (Italy/AC Milan) - 26 6 Enzo Francescoli (Uruguay/River Plate) - 19 7 Gianfranco Zola (Italy/Parma) - 18 8 Alan Shearer (England/Blackburn Rovers) - 16.5 9 Frank Rijkaard (Netherlands/Ajax), Ronaldo (Brazil/PSV Eindhoven) - 11 11 Matthias Sammer (Germany/Borussia Dortmund) - 10 12 Alessandro Del Piero (Italy/Juventus) - 8 13 Gianluca Vialli (Italy/Juventus) - 6 14 Patrick Kluivert (Netherlands/Ajax) - 5 15 Dejan Savicevic (Yugoslavia/AC Milan) - 4 16 Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina/Fiorentina), Brian Laudrup (Denmark/Rangers) - 3 18 Marc Overmars (Netherlands/Ajax) - 2 19 Ivan Zamorano (Chile/Real Madrid) - 1 1996 Ballon d'Or Revisited Big Soccer# panel consensus 1 Matthias Sammer (Germany/Borussia Dortmund) - 145 2 Ronaldo (Brazil/PSV Eindhoven/Barcelona) - 111 3 Alan Shearer (England/Blackburn Rovers/Newcastle United), George Weah (Liberia/AC Milan) - 67.5 5 Alessandro Del Piero (Italy/Juventus) - 39 6 Jari Litmanen (Finland/Ajax) - 26 7 Eric Cantona (France/Manchester United) - 25 8 Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany/Bayern Munich) - 24 9 Jose Luis Chilavert (Paraguay/Velez Sarsfield), Davor Suker (Croatia/Sevilla/Real Madrid) - 4 11 Enzo Francescoli (Uruguay/River Plate), Paolo Maldini (Italy/AC Milan), Predrag Mijatovic (Yugoslavia/Valencia/Real Madrid), Zinedine Zidane (France/Bordeaux/Juventus) - 2 15 Karel Poborsky (Czech Republic/Slavia Prague/Manchester United), Peter Schmeichel (Denmark/Manchester United) - 1 1997 Ballon d'Or Revisited Big Soccer# panel consensus 1 Ronaldo (Brazil/Barcelona/Inter Milan) - 209 2 Zinedine Zidane (France/Juventus) - 112 3 Roberto Carlos (Brazil/Real Madrid) - 68 4 Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands/Arsenal) - 54 5 Predrag Mijatovic (Yugoslavia/Real Madrid) - 27 6 Romario (Brazil/Valencia/Flamengo) - 20 7 Andreas Moller (Germany/Borussia Dortmund) - 9 8 Raul (Spain/Real Madrid), Peter Schmeichel (Denmark/Manchester United) - 6 10 Marcelo Salas (Chile/River Plate), Alan Shearer (England/Newcastle United) - 5 12 Alessandro Del Piero (Italy/Juventus), Gianfranco Zola (Italy/Parma/Chelsea) - 4 14 Angelo Peruzzi (Italy/Juventus), Davor Suker (Croatia/Real Madrid) - 2 16 Edmundo (Brazil/Vasco da Gama), Luis Figo (Portugal/Barcelona), Jurgen Kohler (Germany/Borussia Dortmund), Rivaldo (Brazil/Deportivo La Coruna/Barcelona), Lilian Thuram (France/Parma) - 1 1998 Ballon d'Or Revisited Big Soccer# panel consensus 1 Zinedine Zidane (France/Juventus) - 184 2 Ronaldo (Brazil/Inter Milan) - 163 3 Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands/Arsenal) - 59 4 Davor Suker (Croatia/Real Madrid) - 49 5 Alessandro Del Piero (Italy/Juventus) - 38 6 Rivaldo (Brazil/Barcelona) - 34 7 Lilian Thuram (France/Parma) - 13 8 Michael Owen (England/Liverpool) - 6 9 Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina/Fiorentina) - 5 10 Fernando Redondo (Argentina/Real Madrid) - 4 11 Fabien Barthez (France/Monaco), Predrag Mijatovic (Yugoslavia/Real Madrid) - 3 13 Roberto Carlos (Brazil/Real Madrid) - 2 14 Edgar Davids (Netherlands/AC Milan/Juventus) - 1 1999 Ballon d'Or Revisited Big Soccer# panel consensus 1 Rivaldo (Brazil/Barcelona) - 200 2 David Beckham (England/Manchester United) - 134 3 Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine/Dynamo Kiev/AC Milan) - 73 4 Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina/Fiorentina) - 46 5 Luis Figo (Portugal/Barcelona) - 42 6 Roy Keane (Republic of Ireland/Manchester United) - 28 7 Ryan Giggs (Wales/Manchester United) - 12 8 Raul (Spain/Real Madrid) - 6 9 Zinedine Zidane (France/Juventus) - 4 10 Alex de Souza (Brazil/Palmeiras) - 3 11 Lothar Matthaus (Germany/Bayern Munich), Dwight Yorke (Trinidad&Tobago/Aston Vlla/Manchester United) - 2 13 Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic/Lazio), Ronaldo (Brazil/Inter Milan), Christian Vieri (Italy/Lazio) - 1 No change to the 1997 consensus top 5 anyway though (but Raul into the top 10, and Zola the top 12/13) Please have patience everyone re: the earlier years summaries; it'll be a couple of months perhaps. Thanks in advance for the understanding/respect about that....
I may not be the one you were talking to, but I want to answer your question. Main criteria when analyzing Pre-WW2 players is mainly, the popular opinion on those players. Things as newspaper articles, interviews, quotes, etc. You can determine which player is better than another one when you see that people bend more for a specific player than for another one. Example: Player "a" and player "b" are considered one of the greatest players in all Europe, but which one is better? Important things to take into account: -Which one played in a better league -Which one is considered better throughout different countries -Comparing opinions of different personalities who have already decided in their criteria who are the greatest players At least that is what I mainly count... Sometimes I support myself on verified stats. Hope that answers your question.
Bergkamp's posi Berglamp's position in all the voting for Ballon d'or and FIFA awards were all off the back of the start of his 97-98 season, he had a very average (by his standards 96-97 season) and in my view was definitely not the top ten.... where as 97-98 he was absolutely sensational in arguably his best every season, and that started in August onwards.
Totally agree. That's why it seems fairer to me that voting should be done shortly after the end of the season.
Just a memory refresher for those who may of missed this or perhaps weren’t even aware of this to begin with I agree with @PDG1978 with this being the single greatest PL season ever I’ll put Ronaldo 07/08 a close second and Henry 2003/04 in 3rd even though you’d have it the other way round though 1997/98 and 2009/10 are for me the two greatest seasons ever with the highest level of competition. Right before the World Cup with generational level talents either just entering their peak or at their very best Lionel Messi 2009/10 Cristiano Ronaldo 2009/10 Ronaldo nazario 1997/98 Dennis bergkamp 1997/98 Alessandro Del piero 1997/98 Cesc fabregas 2009/10 Arjen Robben 2009/10 Zinedine zidane 1997/98 Didier drogba 2009/10 Wayne Rooney 2009/10 anyone of these players would easily be the best player in the world playing in 2024 Easily
I think I even slotted Henry 03/04 at the top when I made an attempt (probably thinking widely of 'domestic season' not just Premier League games), but for sure Bergkamp 97/98 being right in contention at the very least. I do think he was already showing some really good form during 96/97, but I see where AD78 is coming from and for sure the second half of 1997 (start of 97/98) was key to Bergkamp's high placements in award voting that year, that's true. On the other question I was thinking in terms of calendar years rather than seasons, but 1966 and 1985 came/come to mind (the seasons perhaps not working quite so well as calendar years eg 1965/66 or 1966/67, 1984/85 or 1985/86), at least for top end players as opposed to football as a whole anyway. Not dismissing your ideas about 2009/10 as a season exactly though, and for sure 1997/98 has merits in that respect I'd agree....