The Fifa World Player of the Year Award is considered one of the most prestigious Awards a football player can receive.

Every year a group of the best performing footballers from that year are picked and coaches from around the world get three votes each. One vote worth 5 points, One worth 3 points and One worth 1 point. The winners are then ordered based on the total number of points they receive.

In 2010 after France Football‘s Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award were merged. The winner of the inaugural 2010 FIFA Ballon d’Or was Lionel Messi who then went on to reclaim the title the following year.

Channels Sports takes a look at how footballers, clubs and countries have been able to produce winners of the most prized individual award in world football.

Due to the merger of both awards players who received the Ballon d’Or will not be considered as they received the award as best in the European continent not the world.

Germany’s Lothar Matthaus won the inaugural award playing for Internationale Milano (Inter Milan) in 1991 and has remained the only German player to win the award since then. With the award dominated by Europeans and South Americans, George Weah broke those hearts and became the first and only African footballer to win the highly prized award playing for AC Milan, Samuel Eto’o tried but could only scoop the second runner up award in behind Frank Lampard and Barcelona team mate and winner Ronaldinho.

Since the commencement of the awards only three players have won the award on three separate occasions; Ronaldo de Lima (1996, 1997 and 2002), Zinedine Zidane (1998, 2000 and 2003). Lionel Messi won the award in 2009, bettering his runner up position in 2008 and 2009, before winning the award in its new format twice in a row, making him the first player to win the award three times consecutively.

While Ronaldo won while playing for three different clubs (, Internationale Milano, Barcelona and Real Madrid), Zidane won with two (Juventus and Real Madrid) and Messi with one (Barcelona).

Wins by Country

1 Brazil 8 (1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007)

2 France 3 (1998, 2000, 2003)

3 Argentina 3 (2009, 2010, 2011)

4 Italy 2 (1993, 2006)

5 Portugal 2 (2001, 2008)

6 Germany 1 (1991)

7 Liberia 1    (1995)

8 Netherlands (1992)

Wins by Club

1 Barcelona 9 (1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011)

2 Real Madrid 4 (2001, 2002, 2003, 2006)

3 Juventus 4 (1993, 1998, 2000)

4 Milan 3 (1992, 1995, 2007)

5 Internazionale 3 (1991, 1997, 2002)

6 Manchester United 1 (2008)

Wins by Player

1 Lione Messi 3 (2009, 2010, 2011)

2 Zinedine Zidane 3 (1998, 2000, 2003)

3 Ronaldo de Lima 3 (1996, 1997, 2002)

4 Ronaldinho 2 (2004, 2005)

5 Lothar Mathaus 1 (1991)

6 Marco van Basten 1 (1992)

7 Roberto Baggio 1 (1993)

8 Romario 1 (1994)

9 George Opong Weah 1 (1995)

10 Rivaldo 1 (1999)

11 Luis Figo 1 (2001)

12 Fabio cannavaro 1 (2006)

13 Kaka 1 (2007)

14 Cristiano Ronaldo 1 (2008)

Fabio Cannavaro became the first defender to win the award while Cristiano Ronaldo became the first England based player to win the award.