10 great players who never won the Ballon d’Or

#6 Andres Iniesta

Iniesta scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final

The term genius is often overused in football, but with Iniesta, it is most certainly an apt description. Alongside Xavi and Sergio Busquets, he was part of one of the best midfields that we have seen in world football, and dominated Europe in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Iniesta also scored perhaps the most famous goal in the history of Spanish football, when he scored the winner for his country against the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final.

Iniesta initially came through as a defensive midfielder at Barca, but it was clear to see early on that he had all the attributes to play higher up the pitch. His ability to see a pass, and his inventiveness and creativity mean that he was almost the complete midfield player. His understanding with Xavi at both club and international level was exceptional, and was one of the things that made him such a great player. He was runner-up for the Ballon d’Or in 2010, but missed out to his club teammate, Lionel Messi.