The sixth Golden Ball winner - Omar Sivori

The sixth Ballon d'Or winner - Lobster Sivori

Another player born outside of Europe to win the European Player of the Year award

The sixth Ballon d'Or in history is also the first for a footballer from the Italian Calcio. Juventus player Omar Sivori won the award on 12 December 1961. After a fantastic season with Juventus, the San Nicolas-born, Argentina striker has the most points in Europe's press poll.

A total of 19 representatives from UEFA member countries awarded 46 points to the Old Lady's top scorer, who, in addition to scoring 28 goals for the Bianconeri in the 1960/61 season, continued his strong performance in the following campaign. According to five, Sivori deserves the first position and with this alone he takes more than half his points - 25. Another three second, two third, one fourth and one fifth places are the reason why Omar overtook the winner of the previous year's prize, Luis Suarez, who switched from Barcelona to Inter in the summer. Suarez collects 40 points. Thus, it is the second smallest gap in the competition's history between first and second after the debut Ballon d'Or won by Stanley Matthews by just 3 points over Alfredo Di Stefano. The top three is completed by Fulham's Jonny Haines, who has just 22 points. For the first time there is a goalkeeper in the top five and it is Lev Yashin from Dynamo Moscow.

There was no Bulgarian representative in the ranking for the "Golden Ball" in 1961, unlike four of the previous five years, when players from the "lions" were invariably present, mostly defending the colors of CSKA or Levski Sofia.

Omar Sivori and his Juve win the Serie A title after 25 of his goals. Only 2 more goals have Segio Brigenti from Sampdoria. Juve are 4 points ahead of AC Milan and are focusing solely on the domestic championship, thanks to an early exit from the European Champions Cup. The Turin giants conceded to CDNA Sofia despite a 2-0 success in the first match in Italy. In the cup tournament, Juve lost the semi-final to Fiorentina, but won the city derby with Torino in the third-place battle. At that time, there was such a fight, which was won after the execution of penalties.

Although he was born in Argentina on the second of October 1935, Sivori received an Italian passport and began to represent the Italian national team, for which he scored 8 goals in 9 matches in the period 61/62. Omar helped both Juve and the Squadra Azura in the year he deservedly triumphed with the Ballon d'Or. His achievement in the 28th round of the Italian championship, in which he scored 6 goals against Inter in the Derby D'Italia, was impressive. This is also the last match of the campaign and the main one for the Argentine striker to attract attention. His hat-trick against Napoli on May 21 in one of the last matches is also key. In front of the packed stands of the Stadio San Paolo, he stole a standing ovation with his phenomenal performance.

Although they became top scorers with their Real Madrid with 7 goals each, Ferenc Pusakas and Alfredo Di Stefano remain fifth and sixth in the ranking, as a team is finally found to stop the "royal club" in the tournament. It's Portugal's Benfica, whose most impressive player according to the Ballon d'Or rankings is Jose Agache, who made it into the top 10.

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