The Ballon d’Or is an annual football award given out to the best footballer in the world over the course of an entire season. Since the inception of the prestigious award in 1956 by France Football, only one African footballer has been named winner.
However, several other players from the continent have earned nominations and have achieved higher finishes in the award rankings since then, as they continue to stake their claim for a place among the best footballers in the world.
With just two African players in contention for the 2026 award, this article looks at the five African footballers with the most Ballon d’Or nominations in history.
Samuel Eto’o (9 nominations)
Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o is the African footballer with the most Ballon d’Or nominations in history with nine. The four-time African player of the Year earned nine consecutive nominations between 2003 and 2011 during his playing days.
However, his best finish was a fifth placed finish in 2009, with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi and Andres Iniesta finishing above him in the rankings that year.
Top 5 highest African player rankings in Golden Ball history
Didier Drogba (8 nominations)
Closely following Eto’o is another African icon, Didier Drogba, who earned eight Ballon d’Or nominations during his playing career, which spanned spells across England, France, Turkey and the others.
Drogba received seven straight nominations between 2004 and 2010, before returning with his final nomination for the award in 2012.
His best finish came in 2007, when he came very close to a podium finish in fourth, with only Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi ranked above him.
Salah, Drogba and three other African footballers with the most UCL appearances
Mohamed Salah (6 nominations)
Former Liverpool star Mohamed Salah ranks third on this list with a total of six nominations. The Egyptian, who joined Trabzonspor after leaving Liverpool last summer, has only finished outside the top 10 once in his career.
He had previously finished fifth twice, before achieving his highest ever finish in 2025 when he was ranked as the fourth best footballer in the world behind Ousmane Dembele, Lamine Yamal and Vitinha.
Five African players who can win the 2026-27 European Golden Shoe award
Sadio Mane (6 nominations)
Al Nassr forward Sadio Mane has received six nominations for the Ballon d’Or award and is one of the two African players nominated for the 2026 edition, alongside Morocco and PSG right-back Achraf Hakimi.
Mane achieved Africa’s highest finish since Weah’s triumph in 1995 when he finished second to Karim Benzema in the 2022 edition of the award. The Senegalese superstar had also finished fourth in the 2019 edition as well.
‘Sadio Mane is one of the greatest heroes of our continent’ – Eto’o
Yaya Toure (5 nominations)
Ivorian legend Yaya Toure completes this list with five Ballon d’Or nominations during his playing career. The former Barcelona and Manchester City received his first nomination in 2009, when he finished 28th.
Toure rhen received four consecutive nominations between 2012 and 2015, but he never finished in the top 10 during his time, with his highest finish being 12th position in 2012 and 2013.
