Pavel Nedvěd became only the second Czech player to win the Ballon d'Or, awarded on 22 December 2003.
Key Facts
- Winner
- Pavel Nedvěd (Czech Republic, midfielder)
- Award date
- 22 December 2003
- Number of voters
- 52 journalists
- Runner-up
- Thierry Henry (France)
- Third place
- Paolo Maldini (Italy)
- Previous Czech winner
- Josef Masopust (1962)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Each year France Football organises the Ballon d'Or by polling sports journalists from UEFA member countries. For the 2003 edition, a panel of experts compiled a 50-player shortlist, and 52 national voters each ranked five choices on a points scale of 5 down to 1.
On 22 December 2003, Czech midfielder Pavel Nedvěd was announced as the winner of the 2003 Ballon d'Or. Thierry Henry finished second and Paolo Maldini third, while Gianluigi Buffon was the highest-placed goalkeeper, in ninth place.
Nedvěd became only the second Czech player ever to win the award, following Josef Masopust's victory in 1962, cementing his status as one of the top European players of his generation and bringing renewed international recognition to Czech football.