There was another chapter added to the Ballon d’Or curse after the 2026 World Cup semifinals, as Spain beat France to ensure Ousmane Dembélé became the latest player to continue the trend.
The forward joined the list of current Ballon d’Or winners who failed to win the World Cup. Even after France’s strong performances throughout the tournament, they were unable to play at their best in the semifinal defeat.
With his World Cup dream ending earlier than expected, Dembélé has scored five goals in seven matches, including a hat trick against Norway. He will have one more opportunity to improve that tally in the third-place match.
| Ballon d’Or year | Ballon d’Or winner | National team | World Cup winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ousmane Dembélé | France | Unknown (France eliminated) |
| 2022 | Karim Benzema | France | Argentina |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | France |
| 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Germany |
| 2009 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Spain |
| 2005 | Ronaldinho | Brazil | Italy |
| 2001 | Michael Owen | England | Brazil |
| 1997 | Ronaldo | Brazil | France |
| 1993 | Roberto Baggio | Italy | Brazil |
| 1989 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Germany |
| 1985 | Michel Platini | France | Argentina |
| 1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | Italy |
| 1977 | Allan Simonsen | Denmark | Argentina |
| 1973 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Germany |
| 1969 | Gianni Rivera | Italy | Brazil |
| 1965 | Eusébio | Portugal | England |
| 1961 | Omar Sívori | Italy | Brazil |
| 1957 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain | Brazil |
