Players who should have won the Ballon d'Or
- The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual award in football
- Voters have not always got it right
- Thierry Henry in 2003 among the biggest snubs
Occasionally, the victor of the Ballon d'Or can be projected long before the award is dished out. There have been superstars who have produced such utterly dominant years or campaigns to leave no doubt in the minds of voters.
2024, however, is not one of those years.
With Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who long had a stranglehold over the award, drifting away from the European limelight, the stage has been set for the next generation of Ballon d'Or victors to come to the fore. Messi, the holder following his work at the 2022 World Cup, has not even been nominated for the latest iteration, and there's plenty of doubt as to who'll triumph this time around with Rodri, Vinicius Junior, and Jude Bellingham all in the hunt.
It's fair to say that France Football don't always get it right, and here are some instances in Ballon d'Or history when, perhaps, the rightful victor went unrecognised.
Players who should have won the Ballon d'Or
1. Alfredo Di Stefano - 1956
Voting points: 44
Achievements: La Liga, European Cup, Small Club World Cup, Pichichi Trophy.
1956 Ballon d'Or winner: Stanley Matthews
France Football crowned Stanley Matthews as the first Ballon d'Or victor in 1956, but the award should've gone to the great Alfredo Di Stefano. Matthews is an English icon, but this crowning felt more like a lifetime achievement award. He was 41 at the time, and had just produced a distinctly underwhelming campaign with Blackpool, a side that didn't lift any major honours that year.
On the contrary, Di Stefano was just arriving at his peak as he inspired Real Madrid to victory in the first-ever European Cup final. In Spain, Di Stefano scored 29 times in 37 games and was undoubtedly the best player in the world at the time.
He would go on to win the award twice in his illustrious career.
2. Ronaldo - 1996
Voting points: 143
Achievements: KNVB Cup, Johan Cruyff Shield, FIFA World Player of the Year, World Soccer Magazine Player of the Year.
1996 Ballon d'Or winner: Matthias Sammer
1996 was the tightest outcome in Ballon d'Or history as Germany's Matthias Sammer pipped the electric Ronaldo to the award by one voting point.
Sammer was excellent at the back for Germany as they won the 1996 European Championship, and the libero also led Borussia Dortmund to their second consecutive Bundesliga title. This was undoubtedly one of the finest calendar years ever produced by a defender, but Sammer was no Ronaldo.
The Brazilian earned a record-breaking move to Barcelona midway through the year before embarking on a majestic start to the 1996/97 season which saw him take home the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
Ronaldo's sole season in Catalonia was, arguably, the most breathtaking in La Liga history.
3. Thierry Henry - 2003
Voting points: 128
Achievements: FA Cup, FIFA Confederations Cup, Onze d'Or, FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball & Golden Shoe, PFA Team of the Year, PFA Players' Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, UEFA Team of the Year, French Player of the Year.
2003 Ballon d'Or winner: Pavel Nedved
This has to be the biggest robbery in Ballon d'Or history. It's criminal that Thierry Henry never got his hands on the illustrious award, and the closest he came was in 2003.
The Frenchman, who once again lit up the Premier League with Arsenal, was pipped to the post by Juventus' Pavel Nedved. The Czech superstar enjoyed an excellent year in Turin, notching 28 goal contributions in Serie A and the Champions League as the Bianconeri lifted both titles.
However, Nedved was suspended for the Champions League final against AC Milan, and his numbers pale in comparison to Henry's. The Arsenal hitman scored 42 times and added 26 assists, breaking the single-season Premier League assist record in the process.
4. Wesley Sneijder - 2010
% of vote: 14.46
Achievements: Serie A, Champions League, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, FIFA Club World Cup, World Cup runner-up, UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year, UEFA Team of the Year, FIFPro World XI.
2010 Ballon d'Or winner: Lionel Messi
Wesley Sneijder is one of three midfielders who, perhaps, should've pipped Lionel Messi to the 2010 Ballon d'Or. Messi's Barcelona teammates, Andres Iniesta and Xavi, enjoyed incredible years and finished second and third respectively in the final voting.
Sneijder, meanwhile, finished fourth, but many feel that the Dutchman was the deserving winner.
He was the creative hub of Jose Mourinho's treble-winning Inter and the heartbeat of an unfancied Dutch side at the World Cup in South Africa that lost in the final. Sneijder outperformed Messi in both of the competitions they competed in that year, yet the award went to the majestic Argentine.
5. Franck Ribery - 2013
% of vote: 23.36
Achievements: Bundesliga, Champions League, DFB-Pokal, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, French Player of the Year, UEFA Team of the Year, UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, Bundesliga Team of the Season, FIFPro World XI.
2013 Ballon d'Or winner: Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo was incredibly productive in 2013, scoring 69 times, but his goals didn't actually amount to much as Real Madrid finished second in La Liga and were knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-finals.
Ribery, on the other hand, played a starring role for a treble-winning Bayern. FC Hollywood were the best team on the planet and Ribery was their best player, so his 2013 Ballon d'Or snub was certainly unjust.
6. Virgil van Dijk - 2019
Voting points: 679
Achievements: Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, PFA Players' Player of the Year, PFA Team of the Year, UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award, UEFA Champions League Defender of the Season, UEFA Team of the Year, FIFPro World XI.
2019 Ballon d'Or winner: Lionel Messi
Just three defenders have won the Ballon d'Or - Franz Beckenbauer, Sammer, Fabio Cannavaro - and Virgil van Dijk should've become the fourth in 2019.
2019 Van Dijk is, arguably, the most dominant iteration of a centre-back we've seen in the Premier League and his persistently stout performances helped Liverpool to Champions League glory.
The Dutchman was far and away the best defender in the world, and he came very close to beating out Messi for the 2019 Ballon d'Or. The Argentine was once again spectacular, but he failed to get Barcelona over the line in Europe - memorably succumbing to Virgil's Reds in the semi-finals.
Van Dijk's all-conquering 2019 deserved to conclude with a Ballon d'Or victory.
7. Robert Lewandowski - 2020
Voting points: N/A
Achievements: Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, DFL-Supercup, The Best FIFA Men's Player, FIFPro World XI, UEFA Men's Player of the Year, UEFA Team of the Year, Bundesliga Top Scorer, Bundesliga Team of the Year, Bundesliga Player of the Year, Footballer of the Year in Germany
2020 Ballon d'Or winner: N/A
Lewandowski wasn't snubbed by voters in 2020, but by France Football, who opted against handing out the Ballon d'Or that year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Seasons were brought to a halt, but they were ultimately concluded over the summer, and the grand governing body would attempt to make up for their ludicrous decision by awarding Lewandowski the all-new Gerd Muller Trophy the following year.
The Polish international was the runaway candidate for the 2020 Ballon d'Or having fired Bayern Munich to a litany of titles. Lewandowski scored a whopping 55 times in 47 appearances, claiming FIFA's The Best prize along the way. He scored 15 times as Bayern lifted the Champions League, with UEFA later naming the striker as the competition's Player of the Season.
Lewandowski produced one of the most dominant years we've ever seen from a goal-getter, but his prolific exploits cruelly went unrecognised by France Football.
READ MORE ON THE 2024 BALLON D'OR
manual