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What is the Super Ballon d’Or and which footballers have won it?
Football has been the most thrilling sport in history due to the greatest players winning numerous awards. The highest individual honour given to the best football player of the year is the Ballon d’Or, but what if you added the word “super” in front of it, calling it the Super Ballon d’Or?
In contrast to this, the French magazine has also been awarded the Super Ballon d’Or once in football history.
Many players have won the Ballon d’Or, but only one player has ever earned the SUPER Ballon d’Or – it is the greatest award! The award is so uncommon that most football fans were unaware it existed.
The trophy mirrors the Ballon d’Or in appearance, however, the base is covered with numerous gold miniature footballs that resemble Ferrero Rocher candies.
The one-of-a-kind trophy spent many years on display at the Real Madrid Museum at the Santiago Bernabeu before being put up for auction in London in September 2021 as part of an exhibition featuring other renowned pieces of memorabilia from Alfredo Di Stefano’s career. As per Julien’s auctions, the trophy sold for a whopping £187,500.
Only European players were taken into consideration for the Super Ballon d’Or award. If a player has had exceptional performances and achievements throughout his career, the Super Ballon d’Or is awarded to the best football player of the last three decades.
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Alfredo di Stefano, a legend of Argentinan descent, won the Ballon d’Or twice, in 1957 and 1959. He was also the sole winner of the Super Ballon d’Or, given on December 24, 1989.
Johan Cruyff of the Netherlands and Michel Platini of France were defeated by Stefano for the award. Di Stefano’s Spanish citizenship allowed him to win the Super Ballon d’Or, which at the time was exclusively given to players from Europe.
The Blond Arrow played for three different national teams between 1947 and 1961 by taking advantage of the liberal interpretation of international laws at the time.
After representing Argentina in six games, Di Stefano travelled to Colombia and participated in four games there. In his 31 games for La Furia after obtaining Spanish citizenship in 1956, he scored 23 goals.
Meanwhile, After a stunning performance to help his side win the FIFA World Cup 2022, many anticipate that Argentina captain Lionel Messi would receive the award making him the second player in football history to achieve the Super Ballon d’Or award.
Lionel Messi became the first player to win two Golden Balls in the FIFA World Cup, in addition to adding the World Cup title to his impressive collection of awards.
The seven Ballon d’Or winner scored seven goals in seven games for Argentina, bringing his total to 13 goals in 26 games across the five editions of the FIFA World Cup there is every possibility that he could win it.