The 20 greatest players who never won the Ballon d’Or
- Lewis Oldham
- @_LewisOldham8
- Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share via email
- •
- 22 reads
- •
- 217 views
- •
- 7 min read
Over the years, there have been lots of great players who have unfortunately missed out on winning the Ballon d’Or. Whilst the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have won the famous trophy, other great players haven’t been so lucky. It’s important to remember that before 1995 only European players were eligible to win the award, so if you’re wondering why the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona don’t appear on our countdown, it’s because they weren’t able to be voted for at the time they were playing. So, with that being said, here’s our countdown of the 20 best eligible players who never won the Ballon d’Or.
Frank Rijkaard
Rijkaard was unlucky that he was a bit overshadowed by teammates during his career. He was part of a Dutch team with Ballon d’Or winners Marco Van Basten and Ruud Gullit and unfortunately, he himself missed out.
Eric Cantona
One of the greatest showmen the sport has ever seen. Cantona was a true great and was a key figure for Man United under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira was an unbelievably talented player for both club and country and he retired after an amazing career where he was widely accepted as one of the best midfielders of his generation.
Alessandro Del Piero
Del Piero took no time to make a name for himself on the world scene. At 21, he helped guide Juventus to the Champions League trophy, scoring six times. In 1998, he won the Italian Player of the Year award, but he missed out on the game’s biggest individual prize.
Steven Gerrard
The Liverpool legend has gone down as one of the best ever Premier League midfielders. During his career, he showed he had a bit of everything and will go down as one of the best ever all-around midfielders.
Frank Lampard
Lampard is one of the best goalscoring midfielders ever. He got the absolute maximum out of his career due to his brilliant grit and hard work. In 2005, he finished second in the voting behind Ronaldinho.
Dennis Bergkamp
The Dutch magician is one of the most majestic footballers anyone has ever seen. He was always a joy to watch and he is one of the most naturally talented players to not win the Ballon d’Or.
Bobby Moore
The 1966 World Cup winner was really before his time. He was your archetypal captain and a great player as well. He never really gets the credit he deserves and was really unfortunate to not get more individual honours as a player.
Thierry Henry
Henry is one of the best goal-getters the Premier League has ever seen, but he was much more than just a goalscorer. The Frenchman had everything and won pretty much all there is to win as a player and is in many people’s eyes, the best ever Premier League player.
Oliver Kahn
Kahn was one of the most intimidating goalkeepers of his generation. He backed that up with a lot of talent as well and was one of the most trusted players between the sticks.
Andrea Pirlo
Pirlo proved to be an absolute magician during the course of his career. He made everything look so easy and even though he went unnoticed sometimes.
Raul
Raul is one of the most beloved players to ever play for Real Madrid and is respected all around the world. The striker was absolutely clinical during his playing career as he scored 323 goals for Madrid.
Kenny Dalglish
Dalglish is one of the best ever players to come out of Britain. The three-time European Cup winner was runner up in 1983 and was extremely unlucky to have not won it outright.
Xavi
Xavi was part of the superb Barcelona team under Pep Guardiola and even got nominated for the award, only to miss out to Messi. He is an iconic player and one of the best midfielders to ever lace up a pair of boots.
Phillip Lahm
Lahm could play in near enough every position and was equally talented in each one. The Bayern Munich legend was criminally underrated during his career and never quite got the credit that he really did deserve.
Franco Baresi
Baresi was part of one of Europe’s greatest ever teams and was absolutely rock solid at the back. He came second in the votes for the 1989 Ballon d’Or and was unlucky to fall short to other great players.
Ferenc Puskas
So good that FIFA have now named an award after him. The closest Ferenc Puskas got to a Ballon d’Or was second place in 1960. He was a joy to watch every time he stepped out onto the pitch.
Gianluigi Buffon
The 2006 World Cup winner will undoubtedly go down as one of the best ever goalkeepers. The Italian won almost everything there is to win in the game and he will never be forgotten by his national team.
Paulo Maldini
It really is a crime that Maldini never got his hands on the Ballon d’Or. He played in some great teams for both AC Milan and Italy and none of them would’ve been half the teams they were without Maldini in them.
Andres Iniesta
Iniesta is, for us, the best ever player to not win the great trophy. The Spaniard was superb in the way he pulled the strings in the Barcelona midfield for so many years. Had it not been for Messi and Ronaldo, he would have multiple Ballon d’Or trophies to his name.