Ballon d'Or Shares 1995 Top 10 Rankings as George Weah Became First African Winner

On 24 December 1995, France Football presented the prestigious Ballon d’Or to George Weah, marking a historic moment as he became the first African and non-European national team player to win the award. The Liberian international, who played for Paris Saint-Germain and later AC Milan that year, received 144 points and broke the geographical barrier previously in place for the accolade.

The final top 10 rankings for the 1995 Ballon d’Or were as follows: George Weah (Paris Saint-Germain / Milan, Liberia) – 144 points; Jürgen Klinsmann (Tottenham Hotspur / Bayern Munich, Germany) – 108 points; Jari Litmanen (Ajax, Finland) – 67 points; Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus, Italy) – 57 points; Patrick Kluivert (Ajax, Netherlands) – 47 points; Gianfranco Zola (Parma, Italy) – 41 points; Paolo Maldini (Milan, Italy) – 36 points; Marc Overmars (Ajax, Netherlands) – 33 points; Matthias Sammer (Borussia Dortmund, Germany) – 18 points; and Michael Laudrup (Real Madrid, Denmark) – 17 points.

George Weah’s triumph in 1995 was not just a personal achievement but a turning point in football history. That year, France Football had for the first time opened eligibility to players of non-European nationalities, provided they played for European clubs. Weah’s win highlighted the growing globalization of the sport and set a precedent for the future. He also secured other major honours that year, including FIFA World Player of the Year and African Footballer of the Year.