10 things you probably didn't know about the Ballon d'Or

Lev Yashin - the only goalkeeper to win the golden ball

#4 Countries with the most Ballon d'Or winners

Despite Brazil, Portugal and Argentina ruling the rooster in this regard since the turn of the century, interestingly, it is Germany and Netherlands who are the joint leaders with the highest number of Ballon d'Or winners. Both countries have seen their players win it a staggering seven times, apiece.

Johan Cruyff and Marco Van Basten won it three times for the Dutch whereas Ruud Gullit won it once. For the Germans, Franz Beckenbauer and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge won it twice each, whereas the likes of Gerd Muller, Lothar Matthaus and Mattias Sammer won it once in their careers.

France follow these two countries with six Ballon d'Or winners - Michel Platini (3), Raymond Kopa, Jean-Pierre Papin and Zinedine Zidane being the winners whereas Portugal are fourth in the list with three different Ballon d'Or winners in the form of Eusebio, Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo.

#3 Defenders and goalkeepers have had it tough

In the 61 years of the Ballon d'Or, only one goalkeeper has won the award in what is a damning evidence on the credit given to the goalkeepers in the business.

Lev Yashin of Russia remains the only custodian to win the Ballon d'Or till date. The Russian won it in 1963 for his excellent displays for Dynamo Moscow.

A more surprising fact is that only four defenders till date has won the Ballon d'Or in what is in reality, a sad state of affairs. 2006 is the year where a defender last won the gong with Italy's Fabio Cannavaro being adjudged as the player of the year.

Before him, Franz Beckenbauer, Lothar Matthaus and Mattias Sammer remain the only other defenders to win the Ballon d'Or.