Ballon d’Or që nënkupton “Topin e Artë”, u realizua nga Gabriel Hanot shef editorial i revistës franceze France Football, i cili kërkoi nga kolegët që të votojnë për lojtarin më të mirë evropian në vitin 1956.
Fillimisht gazetarët kishin të drejtë të votonin vetëm për lojtarët që luajnë në Europë, por ky rregull ndryshoi në vitin 1995, që do të thotë se lojtarët nga kontinentet tjera mund ta fitonin çmimin, për aq kohë sa ata luajnë për një klub evropian.
Një numër i gazetarëve që u lejohej të votonin u rrit në 96 në mbarë botën. Trajnerët dhe kapitenët nga e gjithë bota gjithashtu votuan.
Lista e plotë e fituesve të Topit të Artë që nga viti 1956.
Viti – 1956
i pari – Stanley Matthews (English, Blackpool)
i dyti – Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentinean, Real Madrid)
i treti – Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid)
Viti 1957
i pari – Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentinean, Real Madrid)
i dyti – Billy Wright (English, Wolverhampton Wanderers)
i treti – Duncan Edwards (English, Manchester United)
i treti – Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid)
Viti 1958
i pari – Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid)
i dyti – Helmut Rahn (West German, Rot-Weiss Essen)
i treti – Just Fontaine (French, Stade Reims)
Viti 1959
i pari – Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentinean, Real Madrid)
i dyti – Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid)
i treti – John Charles (Welsh, Juventus)
Viti 1960
i pari – Luis Suarez (Spanish, Barcelona)
i dyti – Ferenc Puskas (Hungarian, Real Madrid)
i treti – Uwe Seeler (West German, Hamburg)
Viti 1961
i pari – Omar Sivori (Argentinean, Juventus)
i dyti – Luis Suarez (Spanish, Inter Milan)
i treti – Johnny Haynes (English, Fulham)
Viti 1962
i pari – Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakian, Dukla Prague)
i dyti – Eusebio (Portuguese, Benfica)
i treti – Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (West German, Koln)
Viti 1963
i pari – Lev Yashin (Soviet Union, Dynamo Moscow)
i dyti – Gianni Rivera (Italian, AC Milan)
i treti – Jimmy Greaves (English, Tottenham Hotspur)
Viti 1964
i pari – Denis Law (Scottish, Manchester United)
i dyti – Luis Suarez (Spanish, Inter Milan)
i treti – Amancio (Spanish, Real Madrid)
Viti 1965
i pari – Eusebio (Portuguese, Benfica)
i dyti – Giacinto Facchetti (Italian, Inter Milan)
i treti – Luis Suarez (Spanish, Real Madrid)
Viti 1966
i pari – Bobby Charlton (English, Manchester United)
i dyti – Eusebio (Portuguese, Benfica)
i treti – Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich)
Viti 1967
i pari – Florian Albert (Hungarian, Ferencváros)
i dyti – Bobby Charlton (English, Manchester United)
i treti – Jimmy Johnstone (Scottish, Celtic)
Viti 1968
i pari – George Best (Irish, Manchester United)
i dyti – Bobby Charlton (English, Manchester United)
i treti – Dragan Džaji (Yugoslavian, Red Star Belgrade)
Viti 1969
i pari – Gianni Rivera (Italian, AC Milan)
i dyti – Luigi Riva (Italian, Cagliari)
i treti – Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munich)
Viti 1970
i pari – Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munich)
i dyti – Bobby Moore (English, West Ham United)
i treti – Luigi Riva (Italian, Cagliari)
Viti 1971
i pari – Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Ajax)
i dyti – Sandro Mazzola (Italian, Inter Milan)
i treti – George Best (Irish, Manchester United)
Viti 1972
i pari – Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich)
i dyti – Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munich)
i treti – Gunter Netzer (West German, Borussia Monchengladbach)
Viti 1973
i pari – Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Barcelona)
i dyti – Dino Zoff (Italian, Juventus)
i treti – Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munic)
viti 1974
i pari – Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Barcelona)
i dyti – Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich)
i treti – Kazimierz Deyna (Polish, Legia Warsaw)
viti 1975
i pari – Oleg Blokhin (Soviet Union, Dynamo Kiev)
i dyti – Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich)
i treti – Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Barcelona)
Viti 1976
i pari – Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich)
i dyti – Rob Rensenbrink (Dutch, Anderlecht)
i treti – Ivo Viktor (Czechoslovakian, Dukla Prague)
Viti 1977
i pari – Allan Simonsen (Danish, Borussia Monchengladbach)
i dyti – Kevin Keegan (English, Hamburg)
i treti – Michel Platini (French, Nancy)
Viti 1978
i pari – Kevin Keegan (English, Hamburg)
i dyti – Hans Krankl (Austrian, Barcelona)
i treti – Rob Rensenbrink (Dutch, Anderlecht)
Viti 1979
i pari – Kevin Keegan (English, Hamburg)
i dyti – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West German, Bayern Munich)
i treti – Ruud Krol (Dutch, Ajax)
Viti 1980
i pari – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West German, Bayern Munich)
i dyti – Bernd Schuster (West German, Real Madrid)
i treti – Michel Platini (French, Saint-Etienne)
Viti 1981
i pari – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West German, Bayern Munich)
i dyti – Paul Breitner (West German, Bayern Munich)
i treti – Bernd Schuster (West German, Barcelona)
Viti 1982
i pari – Paolo Rossi (Italian, Juventus)
i dyti – Alain Giresse (French, Bordeaux)
i treti – Zbigniew Boniek (Polish, Juventus)
Viti 1983
i pari – Michel Platini (French, Juventus)
i dyti – Kenny Dalglish (Scottish, Liverpool)
i treti – Allan Simonsen (Danish, Vejle)
Viti 1984
pari – Michel Platini (French, Juventus)
i dyti – Jean Tigana (French, Bordeaux)
i treti – Preben Elkjær (Danish, Verona)
Viti 1985
i pari – Michel Platini (French, Juventus)
i dyti – Preben Elkjær (Danish, Verona)
i treti – Bernd Schuster (West German, Barcelona)
Viti 1986
i pari – Igor Belanov (Soviet Union, Dynamo Kyiv)
i dyti – Gary Lineker (English, Barcelona)
i treti – Emilio Butragueño (Spanish, Real Madrid)
Viti 1987
i pari – Ruud Gullit (Dutch, AC Milan)
i dyti – Paulo Futre (Portuguese, Atletico Madrid)
i treti – Emilio Butragueño (Spanish, Real Madrid)
Viti 1988
i pari – Marco van Basten (Dutch, AC Milan)
i dyti – Ruud Gullit (Dutch, AC Milan)
i treti – Frank Rijkaard (Dutch, AC Milan)
Viti 1989
i pari – Marco van Basten (Dutch, AC Milan)
i dyti – Franco Baresi (Italian, Milan)
i treti – Frank Rijkaard (Dutch, Milan)
Viti 1990
i pari – Lothar Matthaus (German, Inter Milan)
i dyti – Salvatore Schillaci (Italian, Juventus)
i treti – Andreas Brehme (German, Inter Milan)
Viti 1991
i pari – Jean-Pierre Papin (French, Marseille)
i dyti – Dejan Savicevic (Yugoslavian, Red Star Belgrade)
i dyti – Darko Pancev (Yugoslavian, Red Star Belgrade)
i dyti – Lothar Matthaus (German, Bayern Munich)
Viti 1992
i pari – Marco van Basten (Dutch, AC Milan)
i dyti – Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgarian, Barcelona)
i treti – Dennis Bergkamp (Dutch, Ajax)
Viti 1993
i pari – Roberto Baggio (Italian, Juventus)
i dyti – Dennis Bergkamp (Dutch, Inter Milan)
i treti – Eric Cantona (French, Manchester United)
Viti 1994
i pari – Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgarian, Barcelona
i dyti – Roberto Baggio (Italian, Juventus)
i treti – Paolo Maldini (Italian, AC Milan)
Viti 1995
i pari – George Weah (Liberian, AC Milan)
i dyti – Jurgen Klinsmann (German, Bayern Munich)
i treti – Jari Litmanen (Finnish, Ajax)
Viti 1996
i pari – Matthias Sammer (German, Borussia Dortmund)
i dyti – Ronaldo (Brazilian, Barcelona)
i treti – Alan Shearer (English, Newcastle United)
Viti 1997
i pari – Ronaldo (Brazilian, Inter Milan)
i dyti – Predrag Mijatovi (Yugoslavian, Real Madrid)
i treti – Zinedine Zidane (French, Juventus)
Viti 1998
i pari – Zinedine Zidane (French, Juventus)
i dyti – Davor Suker (Croatian, Real Madrid)
i treti – Ronaldo (Brazilian, Inter Milan)
Viti -1999
i pari – Rivaldo (Brazilian, Barcelona)
i dyti – David Beckham (English, Manchester United)
i treti – Andriy Shevchenko (Ukrainian, AC Milan)
Viti 2000
i pari – Luis Figo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)
i dyti – Zinedine Zidane (French, Real Madrid)
i treti – Andriy Shevchenko (Ukrainian, AC Milan)
Viti 2001
i pari – Michael Owen (English, Liverpool)
i dyti – Raul (Spanish, Real Madrid)
i treti – Oliver Kahn (German, Bayern Munich)
Viti 2002
i pari – Ronaldo (Brazilian, Real Madrid)
i dyti – Roberto Carlos (Brazilian, Real Madrid)
i treti – Oliver Kahn (German, Bayern Munich)
Viti 2003
i pari – Pavel Nedved (Czech, Juventus)
i dyti – Thierry Henry (French, Arsenal)
i treti – Paolo Maldini (Italian, AC Milan)
Viti 2004
i pari – Andriy Shevchenko (Ukrainian, AC Milan)
i dyti – Deco (Portuguese, Barcelona)
i treti – Ronaldinho (Brazilian, Barcelona)
Viti 2005
i pari – Ronaldinho (Brazilian, Barcelona)
i dyti – Frank Lampard (English, Chelsea)
i treti – Steven Gerrard (English, Liverpool)
Viti 2006
i pari – Fabio Cannavaro (Italian, Real Madrid)
i dyti – Gianluigi Buffon (Italian, Juventus)
i treti – Thierry Henry (French, Arsenal)
Viti 2007
i pari – Kaka (Brazilian, AC Milan)
i dyti – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Manchester United)
i treti – Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)
Viti 2008
i pari – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Manchester United)
i dyti – Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)
i treti – Fernando Torres (Spanish, Liverpool)
Viti 2009
i pari – Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)
i dyti – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)
i treti – Xavi Hernandez (Spanish, Barcelona)
Viti 2010
i pari – Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)
i dyti – Andres Iniesta (Spanish, Barcelona)
i treti – Xavi Hernandez (Spanish, Barcelona)
Viti 2011
i pari – Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)
i dyti – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)
i treti – Xavi Hernandez (Spanish, Barcelona)
Viti 2012
i pari – Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)
i dyti – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)
i treti – Andres Iniesta (Spanish, Barcelona)
Viti 2013
i pari – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)
i dyti – Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)
i treti – Franck Ribery (French, Bayern Munich)
Viti 2014
i pari – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)
i dyti – Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)
i treti – Manuel Neuer (French, Bayern Munich)
/tesheshi.com/