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The Ballon d'Or is arguably the most coveted individual accolade in the world of football right now. For the past decade, it has been split evenly between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, which is hardly surprising given the stupefying brilliance with which these two have dominated world football.
However, notwithstanding this, several genuinely amazing players were sadly overshadowed in the light of Messi's and Ronaldo's prowess and success.
Here we take a look at 10 players who should've gone on to clinch the coveted honour at least once in their careers. Since all 10 of these stars were undoubtedly gifts to mankind, pay no heed to the order in which they are listed. Also, my sincere apologies for any player that I may have missed:
#10 Andrés Iniesta
Words struggle to do this man justice in describing his talents and impact on the beautiful game. A connoisseur in his own right, Iniesta strokes out works of art with his performances on his pitch, his gifted feet doing the talking louder than his voice ever could.
Having graduated from the famed La Masia academy, Iniesta has won all the collective trophies there is to win; the FIFA World Cup, two Euro Cups, four UEFA Champions League crowns and eight La Liga titles amongst others.
On an individual note, Iniesta was voted into the FIFA FIFPro World XI for 9 successive years and has been voted into the Uefa Team of the year for 8 continuous years amongst several others.
Arguably, his most established achievement was the Golden Foot he picked up in 2014, but the Ballon d'Or always eluded him, albeit he came close in 2010, when he finished runner-up.
Iniesta is a legend of the game in every sense, the Spanish World Cup hero continues to draw the admiration of his own and rivals fans alike with his unquestionable flair, finesse, and humility and given his extraordinary career and accomplishments, it's cruel to think that a player of Iniesta's caliber was never given the chance to relish the Ballon d'Or.
#9 Xavi Hernandez
A vital cog in the legendary three-man midfield including Sergio Busquets and Iniesta, Xavi helped propel both Spain and Barcelona to sensational triumphs over the course of a decade or so. Xavi is regarded as one of the legends of the modern game without question.
Another La Masia graduate, Xavi went on to play 505 league games for Barcelona, scoring 58 goals and assisting a further 73. Nevertheless, defining this man by his career stats is nothing more than an undeserved insult to him and the game.
Xavi was an absolute metronome on the pitch, his passes, and intelligence dictated the midfield and kept it ticking over smoothly. Another payer sadly overlooked for this award, and on the wrong side of the winners' list, the closest Xavi came to a Ballon d'Or, was third place on no less than three occasions. Another day, another legend who didn't make the cut.
Regardless, with or without the prize, nobody can question Xavi's worth to the game.
#8 Gianluigi Buffon
Age seems to hold no precedence over Gigi Buffon given the state of his playing career, now at 40, the legendary Italian continues to announce himself as among the world's best keepers, commandeering his goalpost with authority and skill.
A true gentleman on and off the pitch, Buffon began his career at Parma before switching for a then world record fee to Juventus where he remains to this day. It's not uncommon for football fans to mention Buffon's name in the same breath as 'Greatest Goalkeeper of all Time' and there's good evidence to suggest that may be true.
Having played over a 1000 professional games including 175 caps for Italy, Buffon is no stranger to trophies with eight Scudettos and a FIFA World Cup trophy under his belt amongst others.
On a personal note, Buffon's efforts haven't gone unnoticed; IFFHS conferred him with the award for the Best Goalkeeper of the last 25 years (1987-2012) along with the Best Goalkeeper of the Decade (2000-2010) as well as the Best Goalkeeper of the 21st Century, Buffon also claimed a Golden Foot award in 2016.
However, like every player on this list, he couldn't lift the Ballon d'Or even once in his illustrious career, coming close with a second place finish at the 2006 ceremony.
#7 Iker Casillas
Iker Casillas began his distinguished career at Real Madrid, harbouring the Madrid goalpost for 16 long years from 1999-2015, raising eyebrows and dropping jaws with his dazzling saves and scintillating performances. A Madrid man through and through, Casillas also played for and captained the Spanish national team, for whom he featured 167 times.
Casillas is one of that ultra rare breed of footballers who have won pretty much everything there is to win with both club and country. Under his captaincy, La Roja won their maiden FIFA World Cup in 2010, thanks in no small part, to his astounding heroics between the sticks, as well as two Euro Cups.
Over at Madrid, he won three UEFA Champions Leagues including the famed La Decima in 2014, along with 5 La Liga trophies and more.
Individually, Casillas was named the World's Best Goalkeeper by IFFHS for five consecutive years (2008-2012). Additionally, he clinched the FIFA World Cup Golden Glove in 2010 as well as the Golden Foot in 2017. Sadly, for all his achievements in the game, Casillas never came close to winning the Ballon d'Or, a lamentable tragedy.
#6 Steven Gerrard
If Zinedine Zidane and Pelé took the time to name Steven Gerrard the best player in the world back in 2009, it's sound assurance that this gent did more for the game than just don a shirt and cash in his paycheck. Not many would argue with me when I say that Gerrard is one of the greatest players to come out of England and grace the game in this century.
Having joined the Liverpool academy aged just five, Stevie G went on to dazzle and amaze in the red shirt over 17 long years at Merseyside. Along the way, he banged in 186 goals in over 700 appearances for the Reds. Possibly the most distinguished moment of his career was in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final, aptly named the Miracle of Istanbul.
At halftime, Liverpool found themselves trailing 3-0 to AC Milan with defeat staring them in the face; but backed by their spirited fans, they fought back with goals from Vladimír Šmicer, Xabi Alonso and of course, Gerrard himself. Liverpool eventually went on to win their fifth Champions League trophy, via a penalty shootout.
Gerrard featured in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year on no less than 8 occasions and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2017 amongst several others honours. Unfortunately, Gerrard never claimed the Ballon d'Or for himself, finishing third at the 2005 ceremony behind Frank Lampard and the winner Ronaldinho.
#5 Manuel Neuer
Manuel Neuer began his professional career at Schalke in the Bundesliga, before eventually moving to Bayern Munich in 2011 aged 25. The move cemented his place as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time.
Duly called a 'sweeper-keeper' for his unique style in clearing off the line to apprehend advancing opponents, Neuer went on to achieve glory with both Bayern and Germany.
Neuer has won five Bundesliga titles as well as a treble in 2013, amongst other trophies. In 2014, he enjoyed a splendid FIFA World Cup campaign, keeping four clean sheets in seven games including the final, as Germany went on to lift the acclaimed trophy for the fourth time in their history.
In recognition of his performances at the World Cup, he was awarded the Golden Glove and has won the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award for 4 consecutive years (2013-2016).
Following his World Cup heroics, Neuer made it to the Ballon d'Or final three-man shortlist in 2014, but unfortunately, finished third in the final standings - behind Cristiano Ronaldo (1st) and Lionel Messi (2nd).
#4 Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti was a one-club man. Try wrapping your head around that in this day and age of football. His loyalty and passion towards his club A.S.Roma alone would probably warrant a Ballon d'Or in itself, but Totti was more than loyal, he was an absolute genius on the pitch.
Totti made his senior debut for Roma in 1992 and in a stint lasting 25 years, he etched his name into the sport as one of the best talents of his generation, scoring 307 goals for Roma including 250 in Serie A making the second highest scorer of all time in the league.
He holds several records to his name which includes the most number of goals scored whilst playing for a single club in Seria A, the youngest club captain in Serie A, the oldest goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League.
During his tenure, Totti picked up eight trophies including a Scudetto in the 2000-01 season. On a personal note, he picked up several accolades including the European Golden Shoe, the Serie A Italian Footballer of the year on five occasions and the Golden Foot in 2010.
But regrettably, the Ballon d'Or went amiss for Il Gladiatore.
#3 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Undoubtedly an eccentric personality, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is probably not to everyone's taste. Regardless, there is no denying his fantastic ability with a football. Zlatan began his senior career at Malmö FF, and the 18 years that followed saw the big Swede jump ship eight times across six countries.
His clubs include Ajax, Juventus, Internazionale, Barcelona, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and currently, Manchester United. It's also safe to say that he made a sizeable impact wherever he went, but perhaps his most noteworthy accomplishments came in a PSG shirt.
During his time there, Zlatan pounded in 156 goals across all competitions winning the Ligue 1 trophy four years on the trot amongst other silverware. He also remains the top scorer for Sweden with 62 goals in 116 appearances.
Zlatan has picked up numerous individual awards over his career including the Golden Foot, the Guldbollen for a record 11 times, and the FIFA Puskás award in 2013.
To date, Zlatan has accumulated a massive 32 trophies over his playing career but despite all his collective success, sadly, the Ballon d'Or never came calling.
#2 Sergio Aguero
There can be no arguments over the fact that Sergio Aguero has been one of the most consistent and prolific strikers in the world since his move to the Manchester City back in 2011.
Aguero began his career at Club Atlético Independiente at the tender age of 15, which made him the youngest player to debut in the Argentine Primera División. In 2006, he moved to Atletico Madrid, where he flourished, scoring 101 goals over six years for Los Rojiblancos.
But undoubtedly, he is best known for his stint with the Citizens, where he moved to in 2011. In his debut season, in the final game of the league against Queens Park Rangers, the match was teetering at 3-3 and with City needing a win, Aguero popped up with a stunning winner in the 94th minute sending the League title to Manchester City for the first time in 44 years!
That moment remains one of the most iconic and astonishing events in English football.
The diminutive Argentine has grown in stature since then, constantly menacing the penalty box in search of goals, of which he has plundered 193 to date for the Citizens, an undisputed club record.
Aguero has won 10 trophies over his paying career and on an individual note, he has won the Don Balón award and the Premier League Golden Boot for the 2014-15 season amongst others. Once again though, for all his exploits on the pitch, the Ballon d'Or remains elusive.
#1 Philipp Lahm
One of the most distinguished players of all time, Philipp Lahm makes a very convincing case for being one of the best fullbacks of his generation. Lahm made his professional debut at Bayern Munich in 2002 and following a two-season loan spell at VfB Stuttgart, he returned to Bayern in 2005 and never looked back.
In the 12 years that followed, Lahm went on to collect a rich haul of 21 trophies with Bayern Munich, including a treble in 2013.
Pep Guardiola was famously quoted in 2013 saying that Lahm was " the most intelligent player I have ever trained in my career." High praise for a truly fantastic player.
Lahm was no less beneficial for Die Mannschaft, playing 113 times and captaining the side that won the World Cup in 2014 in Brazil. Amongst the numerous honours he has picked up, he was voted into the UEFA Team of the Year five times and has also featured in the UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament both in 2008 and 2012.
Regrettably, though, like every other name on this list, Lahm never won a Ballon d'Or, his highest finish coming in 6th place in 2014.
