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The Ballon d'Or is an individual award given to players by France football. Between 2010 and 2015, an agreement was made with FIFA and it was known as the FIFA Ballon d'Or. Now simply known as the Ballon d'or, its winner is chosen by a poll among the elites of the footballing world.
The record for the highest number of wins by a single player is shared by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with both players winning the award on 5 occasions. Since 2008, the award has been shared only between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi broke Michel Platini's record of winning the award 3 times in a row when he won the award 4 times continuously between 2009 and 2012. The last player apart from Messi or Ronaldo to win this award was Kaka in 2007.
On that note, there are a few legends of the game who have been denied the award, owing to the rivalry between the Portuguese and the Argentine. Here's a look at 4 such legends in the modern era who should have won the Ballon d'Or but did not:
#4 Gianluigi Buffon
One of the greatest goalkeepers of the modern era, Gianluigi Buffon should have won the Ballon d'Or in 2006 when he lifted the world cup with Italy. The winner of the Ballon d'Or that year was his Italian teammate and defender, Fabio Cannavaro.
They got through the group stages with two wins over the Czech Republic and Ghana and a draw against the USA. In the three matches in the group stage, they conceded just one goal.
Wins against Australia, Ukraine, and Germany meant they reached the final of the world cup conceding just 1 goal. They won the final match on penalties with David Trezeguet's penalty hitting the crossbar.
A legendary keeper who has been in the game for 23 years ever since making his debut for Parma in 1995, Buffon has made 671 appearances for Parma and Juventus combined and a further 175 appearances for Italy.
2006 was his best shot at the award, and it was just bad luck that he had to come up against one of the best defenders in world football, and against the likes of Messi and Ronaldo since then.
#3 Thierry Henry
One of the most prolific strikers in the modern era, Thierry Henry made his name in England with Arsenal where he wreaked havoc linking up with Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires and co.
He was part of the Arsenal side which earned the title of "The Invincibles" where they played the entirety of the 2003/2004 Premier League season without a single loss. He arrived at Arsenal as a young boy but he left Arsenal a legend, when he transferred to F.C Barcelona in 2007. He made 254 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 174 times.
At Barcelona, he was an integral part of the team which won the treble in 2009 under Pep Guardiola. He made 80 appearances for Barcelona, scoring 35 times. From Barcelona, he moved to the USA to play with New York Red Bulls. He also became the top goal scorer for France in October 2007, when he surpassed Michel Platini.
He was a joy to watch when he was on the ball and it's a shame that he didn't win a Ballon d'Or during his illustrious career.
#2 Xavi Hernandez
A midfield maestro, Xavi was a player who came through the ranks at La Masia - Barcelona's football academy. A calm figure on the ball, he had a knack of always picking the right passes at the right time.
He formed a devastating partnership with Iniesta and together, they formed one of the most feared midfield duos at the time. He won a long list of trophies at Barcelona which includes 4 Champions Leagues, 2 European supercups, 8 La Liga titles, 3 Copa del Reys and 6 Spanish supercups.
He was also a part of the Spanish team that won EURO 2008, the FIFA World cup in 2010 and also won the Euro 2012 competition. He was on the shortlist for the Ballon d'or thrice, but ended up losing to Messi on all three occasions.
He was never a prolific goal scorer but he was known for his passes that used to carve the opposition defense open and create acres of space for the strikers to score. Xavi is another player who deserved to win the Ballon d'Or, but was eclipsed by a mercurial Messi the 3 years he was nominated.
#1 Andres Iniesta
For any football fan, the most vivid memory of Andres Iniesta would be his 116th-minute goal against the Netherlands in Johannesburg in the final of the world cup in 2010. Another player who came through the ranks at La Masia like Xavi, Andres Iniesta is one of the most loved Spanish players.
He has made 434 appearances for Barcelona since he made his debut in 2002 at the tender age of 18. 16 years later, he is still one of the most important players in the Barcelona dressing room.
A genius with the ball, he has won 8 league titles, 6 Spanish Super Cups, 4 Champions Leagues, 5 Copas del Rey, 3 European Super Cups and 3 Club World Cups with the Blaugrana.
His 3 trophies with the national Spanish team also make him one of the most successful Spanish footballers. Linking up extremely well with Lionel Messi and Xavi, he has often made defenders look like toddlers in front of him.
His creative vision is also his most important characteristic, as he can see gaps on the pitch that other players simply cannot see.
A footballing god in the eyes of his fans, he too had the misfortune of coming up against Messi in the race for the Ballon d'or. All anyone can hope is for him to continue playing for as long as possible.
