The Ballon d’Or Le nouveau palmarès is a retrospective re-evaluation of the award created by France Football to account for one of the competition’s biggest historical limitations. Before 1995, the Ballon d’Or was restricted to European players, meaning several legendary South American footballers could not win the award despite producing outstanding performances.
In 2016, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Ballon d’Or, France Football published an “internationalized” re-evaluation of the awards from 1956 to 1994. Under this alternative system, 12 of the 39 Ballons d’Or awarded during that period would have gone to South American players.
Importantly, this did not change the official Ballon d’Or winners. It was a hypothetical retrospective designed to show how the historical winners might have looked if players from outside Europe had been eligible.
Why Did France Football Create Le nouveau palmarès?
The original Ballon d’Or was introduced in 1956, but eligibility was initially limited to European footballers. That meant legendary players such as Pelé and Diego Maradona could not win the award during their careers, despite their enormous influence on world football.
The rules were eventually changed in 1995, allowing players of any nationality to win the trophy as long as they played for a European club. The award later became fully global in scope.
The retrospective exercise attempted to address what the historical Ballon d’Or record might have looked like under international eligibility.
Ballon d’Or Le nouveau palmarès: Alternative Winners
The 12 alternative winners identified by France Football are:
1958 – Pelé — instead of Raymond Kopa
1959 – Pelé — instead of Alfredo Di Stéfano
1960 – Pelé — instead of Luis Suárez
1961 – Pelé — instead of Omar Sívori
1962 – Garrincha — instead of Josef Masopust
1963 – Pelé — instead of Lev Yashin
1964 – Pelé — instead of Denis Law
1970 – Pelé — instead of Gerd Müller
1978 – Mario Kempes — instead of Kevin Keegan
1986 – Diego Maradona — instead of Igor Belanov
1990 – Diego Maradona — instead of Lothar Matthäus
1994 – Romário — instead of Hristo Stoichkov
This means Pelé would have been recognised as the alternative winner seven times, while Maradona would have received two retrospective awards. Garrincha, Kempes and Romário would each have received one.
Does Le nouveau palmarès Change the Official Ballon d’Or Winners?
No. The official Ballon d’Or palmarès remains unchanged. The retrospective list is not a replacement for the historical winners and does not mean Pelé officially won seven Ballons d’Or.
Instead, Le nouveau palmarès provides an alternative historical perspective on the award and highlights how nationality restrictions affected its early history.
FAQ: Ballon d’Or Le nouveau palmarès
What does Le nouveau palmarès mean?
“Le nouveau palmarès” translates roughly to “the new honours list” or “new roll of honour.” In this context, it refers to France Football’s retrospective internationalised Ballon d’Or winners.
How many alternative Ballon d’Or winners are there?
There are 12 alternative winners covering 12 editions between 1958 and 1994.
How many Ballon d’Ors would Pelé have won?
Under the retrospective re-evaluation, Pelé would have won seven Ballons d’Or.
Did Pelé officially win the Ballon d’Or?
No. Pelé's seven appearances as an alternative winner are part of the retrospective Le nouveau palmarès, while the original official winners remain unchanged.
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