10 great players who never won the Ballon d’Or

#5 Ryan Giggs

Giggs played in 22 consecutive Premier League seasons

There are very few more decorated footballers in the history of the game that Giggs, who finished his career with 34 trophies to his name. All of these came at Manchester United, with whom he spent his whole career, making 963 appearances in all, the most of any player in the Red Devils’ history. He was part of the furniture at Old Trafford, and it was a huge loss when he left the club altogether in 2016, before taking over as Wales manager.

Given the number of trophies he has won, and amount of records he has broken over the years, it is surprising he hasn’t won more individual honours. He won a record 13 Premier League titles, during a period where he also scored in an impressive 21 consecutive league seasons. He was often outshined at the club by players that were more technically gifted, in particular, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Eric Cantona. However, because of his level of performances over such a long period of time, he will be remembered as a great player.