| 2006 Ballon d'Or | |
|---|---|
 2006 Ballon d'Or winner Fabio Cannavaro in 2017 | |
| Date | 27 November 2006 |
| Location | Paris, France |
| Country | France |
| Presented by | France Football |
| Highlights | |
| Won by |  Fabio Cannavaro (1st award) |
| Website | www |
The 2006 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to the Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro on 27 November 2006.[1] On 16 October 2006, was announced the shortlist of 50 male players compiled by a group of experts from France Football.[2] There were 52 voters, from Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and Wales. Each picked a first (5pts), second (4pts), third (3pts), fourth (2pts) and fifth choice (1pt).[3]
Fabio Cannavaro is the most recent defender to have won the award as of 2024.
- ^ BBC Sport staff (27 November 2006). "Cannavaro wins Euro player award". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- ^ Record staff (16 October 2006). "Ronaldo, Deco e Tiago na corrida pela «Bola de Ouro»" [Ronaldo, Deco and Tiago running for «Ballon D'or»]. Record (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- ^ Pierrend, José (3 January 2007). "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 2006". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.