While the race for the Golden Globe is expected to be fierce this year, historically, winners have won by a narrow margin or even just one vote. Let's review these precedents.
While the race for the Golden Globe is expected to be fierce this year, historically, winners have won by a narrow margin or even just one vote. Let's review these precedents.
1. In 1996, Matthias Sammer edged out Ronaldo. This was the smallest margin of victory between the two Ballon d'Or winners. The award had just been opened to all players playing in continental Europe the previous year, removing nationality distinctions. The difference between Matthias Sammer, the European Championship winner and Bundesliga champion, and Ronaldo, who was on his way to becoming Barcelona's European Golden Boot winner, was minuscule: the German had 144 points, the Brazilian 143, and the latter had been ranked number one more times (16 times to 13). Ultimately, the 0.13% difference was minuscule, yet it determined the champion and runner-up.
2. The battle between Messi and Van Dijk lasted until the very end. Messi's closest brush with the title wasn't against his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2019, Liverpool won the Champions League (2-0 in the final against Tottenham Hotspur), finished as runners-up in the Premier League, and were in strong shape to win their first league title since 1990 the following year. Van Dijk had every reason to believe he would win. But he met the legendary Messi. Messi was already the La Liga champion and top scorer at the time, and Van Dijk ultimately lost. This time, with 100 judges voting (compared to only 16 in the inaugural edition in 1956), Messi received 686 points, while Van Dijk received 679, a difference of only 7 points. 24.36% to 24.11%, a difference of only 0.25%, the second smallest percentage gap since 1996.
3. In 1966, Charlton won by a single vote. Thirty years earlier than Summer, Bobby Charlton had also won by a single point over Eusebio. The number of voters was smaller then, only 22, and the points were fewer: the Englishman received 81 points, while the Portuguese received 80, a difference of 0.30%. As a World Cup winner with the Three Lions, the midfield legend and Manchester United icon didn't win with the help of the English judges; one judge didn't even include him in his top five, favoring his compatriots Ball, Moore, and Hurst! Eusebio finished third with Portugal and became the World Cup's top scorer with 9 goals, but missed the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Alfredo Di Stefano, who was the only player at the time to win the award twice.
4. In 1972, Beckenbauer won the domestic competition. In 1977, Michel Platini finished third, four points behind the eventual winner, Dane Alan Simonsen. The 1972 competition was even closer and more intense, as the champion was contested among three players from the same country: West Germany, who had defeated the Soviet Union 3-0 in the European Championship. Ultimately, defender Franz Beckenbauer won his first of two France Football Ballon d'Or awards with 81 points, just two points ahead of his teammate, striker Gerd Müller, and Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Günther Netzer. Fourth place went to Dutchman Johan Cruyff with 73 points; he had been voted first three times and second nine times. The point difference was truly remarkable.
5. In 2024, Rodri outshone all Real Madrid players. In 2024, Real Madrid won the Spanish league title after only one loss, also won the Champions League, and had three players finish in the top four: Carvajal in 4th, Bellingham in 3rd, and Vinicius in 2nd with 1129 points and 17.02% of the vote. But this still wasn't enough to beat Rodri: the Manchester City midfield maestro won the Premier League title with City and the European Championship with Spain, ultimately earning 1170 points, or 17.64%, 0.62% more than Vinicius. He suffered a torn right anterior cruciate ligament in September and could only walk onto the podium on crutches to bravely accept his trophy.
