His dazzling tally of goals for club and country earned him the prestigious European Footballer of the Year award in 1965.
He was named both British and European footballer of the year.
France Football, first published in 1946, organized the Ballon d'Or award for European footballer of the year until it was merged with FIFA's world player of the year award in 2010.
Ronaldinho, fancied to add the European Footballer of the Year to the World Player award he won last year, shone in the second half and capped his display with his superb double strike.
Owen, 33, enjoyed the best spell of his career with Liverpool, scoring 179 goals in 306 appearances and being named European Footballer of the Year in 2001, before joining a star-studded Real side in 2004.
The 2001 European footballer of the year has dropped out of the England squad, but a move to United gives Owen the chance to revitalise his career, even if it involved accepting a lower basic salary.
The Danish league finally turned professional in 1978 and, although one of their star players Allan Simonsen was named European Footballer of the Year, they still lacked the quality in depth to qualify for the World Cup finals.
The FIFA Ballon d'Or was awarded for the third time following the 2010 amalgamation of the FIFA World Player of the Year award with the France Football Ballon d'Or, which was popularly known as the European Footballer of the Year award.
The FIFA Ballon d'Or was awarded for the third time following the amalgamation of the FIFA World Player of the Year award with the France Football Ballon d'Or, which was popularly known as the European Footballer of the Year award, in 2010.
Since signing for Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon as an 18-year-old in 2003, the Madeira-born forward has developed into one of the best players in the world and is the current holder of the Ballon d'Or award as European Footballer of the Year.
At the 2012 finals, Mali's most decorated footballer -- who boasts three Spanish La Liga titles and two European Champions League medals among other trophies -- had broken down in tears as Islamists took control of the north of his country amidst fierce fighting.
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