Every year, the Ballon d’Or, soccer’s most prestigious particular person award, is handed to the participant who has been the world’s finest within the earlier season. Not less than, that is the way it’s presupposed to work.
Gamers, managers and the media have voted on the Ballon d’Or, although they do not all the time get it proper. Now solely voted for by a jury of journalists from internationally, 2024’s occasion will hopefully be extra consultant of who really deserves the award.
However loads of gamers up to now have been disgracefully ignored, from World Cup-winning goalkeepers to treble-winning shoo-ins.
With that in thoughts, we have put collectively a beginning XI of the perfect gamers to have by no means received the Ballon d’Or. It is price noting that whereas Maradona and Pele can be on this record, neither participant was ever eligible to win the award as a consequence of it solely being open to non-European gamers since 1995, by which period Maradona was nearing the tip of his profession and Pele had lengthy retired.
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1
Gianluigi Buffon
Goalkeeper (finest: 2nd 2006)
Just one goalkeeper in historical past – Lev Yashin – has ever received the Ballon d’Or, with the Soviet shot-stopper scooping the prize method again in 1963. Gianluigi Buffon arguably ought to have been the second.
In 2006, Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro was awarded the Ballon d’Or after captaining Italy to glory on the 2006 World Cup. Whereas Cannavaro successful the prize wasn’t precisely a shock, Buffon was actually worthy of it himself.
On the World Cup, the Juventus ‘keeper stored a document 5 clear sheets, conceding simply two objectives in your complete match, and made a match-saving save in extra-time of the ultimate when he tipped a goal-bound Zinedine Zidane header over the bar.
2
Cafu
Proper-back (finest: =14th 2002)
In December 2020, France Soccer – the journal that conceived the Ballon d’Or – printed a Ballon d’Or Dream Staff. Voted for by journalists, the thought was easy: create and crown the perfect workforce in soccer historical past.
Logically, you’d suppose it might be stuffed with Ballon d’Or winners, no? Assume once more.
Pele and Maradona made the lower, as did Spanish midfielder Xavi – none of whom have ever received the Ballon d’Or. Brazilian defender Cafu, one other participant to have by no means received the award, was additionally included at right-back.
Cafu’s place within the workforce was little question deserved. He’s the one of many best right-backs to ever play the sport. So why did he by no means win the Ballon d’Or itself? Maybe he was too overshadowed in Brazil within the Ronaldo period.
3
Paolo Maldini
Centre-back (finest: third 1994, 2003)
Paolo Maldini is your favorite defender’s favorite defender.
Take John Terry, for instance. “I additionally hope that sooner or later I will probably be pretty much as good as Maldini,” the Chelsea legend as soon as mentioned of the Italian. Or Rio Ferdinand: “Paolo Maldini, he is the perfect,” he mentioned just lately.
Maldini can also be your favorite attacker’s least-favourite defender – which is maybe a fair larger praise.
“Paolo Maldini is the perfect I’ve performed towards,” Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario as soon as mentioned of him. Zlatan Ibrahimovic as soon as mentioned: “Maldini was the perfect and hardest defender I ever confronted. He had the whole lot: he was an entire defender, who was robust, clever, and a very good man-marker.”
Nonetheless, regardless of him being revered by his friends, Maldini, who received seven Serie A titles and 5 European Cups throughout his profession, by no means received the Ballon d’Or. He got here closest in 1994 and 2003, ending third on each events.
4
Virgil van Dijk
Centre-back (finest: 2nd 2019)
If Maldini is everybody else’s favorite defender, then who’s the Italian’s favorite defender? No, it is not his former AC Milan teammate Alessandro Nesta, nor his Italy counterpart Cannavaro.
As a substitute, and maybe surprisingly, it is Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk.
“I’ve performed with among the best defenders like Nesta, Baresi, Cannavaro, however I really feel I used to be unfortunate to not pair with Van Dijk,” Maldini mentioned of the Dutchman in 2022, as per switch guru Fabrizio Romano. “Virgil would be the finest defender in historical past of soccer quickly.”
Now 33, Van Dijk has been one of many world’s most excellent defenders over the previous decade, successful virtually the whole lot there may be to win with the Reds, together with the Premier League and the Champions League. He completed second within the 2019 Ballon d’Or behind Lionel Messi, however has but to scoop the prize himself.
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5
Roberto Carlos
Left-back (finest: 2nd 2002)
In 2002, shortly after Brazil had lifted the World Cup, Actual Madrid legend Roberto Carlos got here near successful the Ballon d’Or, ending second behind compatriot Ronaldo.
It is tough to argue that Roberto Carlos ought to have crushed Ronaldo in 2002 provided that the striker was the match’s prime scorer with eight objectives, two of which got here within the closing towards Germany. Nonetheless, had it not been for his countryman’s exploits, the full-back would have been a deserving winner.
Extensively considered the best left-back of all-time, “The Bullet Man” was famend for his marauding ahead runs, mazy dribbles, and, after all, trademark bending free-kick.
6
Xavi
Centre-midfield (finest: third 2009, 2010, 2011)
The lynchpin in what many individuals imagine to be the best midfield trio of all time, Xavi was a very distinctive deep-lying playmaker, (or regista, if you’ll) who was a grasp of controlling the tempo of matches along with his unparalleled passing vary and imaginative and prescient.
He noticed area that different gamers merely did not, permitting him to show seemingly innocuous moments into harmful assaults within the blink of a watch.
The Spaniard completed third within the Ballon d’Or for 3 years operating between 2009 and 2011, with Messi successful the highest prize in every of these years.
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7
Andres Iniesta
Centre-midfield (finest: 2nd 2010)
Alongside Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and Xavi had been the heartbeat of the Barcelona and Spain groups that dominated world soccer between 2008 and 2012, successful the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League, La Liga, and numerous different honours.
Nonetheless, in contrast to Xavi, who ran issues from deep, Iniesta had extra of a distinguished position within the closing third. As such, he had some notable moments of glory, together with his extra-time winner within the 2010 World Cup closing. After that purpose, Iniesta completed second behind Messi within the Ballon d’Or, a story that has confirmed all too acquainted through the years for a lot of a participant.
8
Kevin De Bruyne
Centre-midfield (finest: third 2022)
Kevin De Bruyne has arguably been the Premier League’s finest midfielder for nearly a decade now.
Since becoming a member of Manchester Metropolis in 2015, he is steered Metropolis to 6 Premier League titles and a first-ever Champions League triumph, contributing 103 objectives and 171 assists alongside the way in which.
It is obscure fairly how, amid these achievements, he has by no means been awarded the Ballon d’Or, particularly in 2018, when he starred because the membership received the Premier League with a document factors complete of 100.
“The best way he is performed it is tough to search out one [better] in Europe,” Metropolis boss Pep Guardiola mentioned of De Bruyne on the time.
9
Thierry Henry
Proper-wing (finest: 2nd 2003)
Not strictly a right-winger, however we needed to put him someplace; at his peak, Thierry Henry was merely unstoppable.
Quick, skilful, and with an unmatched eye for purpose, the Frenchman scored 226 objectives for Arsenal between 1997 and 2007, successful the Premier League’s Golden Boot a document 4 instances and firing the Gunners to the title on two separate events. He was additionally a key man for his nation, enjoying starring roles in France’s 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 triumphs.
Henry’s most interesting hour got here in 2003/04, when he scored 39 objectives in all competitions as Arsenal received the Premier League title with out dropping a recreation. His achievements, nevertheless, went unrecognised by Ballon d’Or voters, with the striker in some way ending fourth behind Ronaldinho, Deco, and Andriy Shevchenko having been pipped by Pavel Nedved a yr earlier.
10
Robert Lewandowski
Centre-forward (finest: 2nd 2021)
Robert Lewandowski has been robbed of the Ballon d’Or on two events.
In 2020 after a shocking season by which he scored 55 objectives in all competitions as Bayern Munich received the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup, the award was cancelled as a result of pandemic.
The next yr, the Pole then put up comparable numbers, scoring 48 objectives, however was controversially snubbed in favour of Lionel Messi, who had endured a hit-and-miss first season with Paris Saint-Germain.
It isn’t too late for Lewandowski, nevertheless. This season, regardless of being 36, he is already scored 17 objectives in simply 14 video games for Barcelona because of his latest double in El Clasico. Maintain going at that price, and he might properly discover himself in competition subsequent yr.
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11
Neymar
Left-wing (finest: third 2015, 2017)
Many will look again at Neymar’s profession and surprise what may have been had he by no means left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
At Camp Nou, Neymar had established himself as one of many most interesting and most fun younger gamers on the planet, scoring 105 objectives in 4 seasons and successful eight main honours, together with the Champions League and La Liga, all whereas dazzling the Barcelona trustworthy along with his sensational trickery. Throughout that interval, he twice completed third within the Ballon d’Or standings.
From there, it regarded like issues may solely get higher for the Brazilian and he would go on to say the golden ball, his efforts to face aside from Messi in a distinct workforce didn’t go to plan. And whereas he was nonetheless excellent throughout his time in France, he was perennially injured and by no means in a position to attain the identical particular person heights he did in Spain.
