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The Ballon d’Or is the highest individual accolade a footballer can aspire for. Though the Ballon d’Or is no longer associated with FIFA, it still remains the most prestigious award on the circuit.
Recently, the shortlist for the Ballon d’Or was announced in phases. As expected, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi headlined the list. The duo has maintained a duopoly over the award with them sharing it equally over the past 10 years.
Premier League stars such as Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero, Eden Hazard, N’Golo Kante and Kevin De Bruyne also made the shortlist on the weight of their performances. Apart from Salah though, it looks highly unlikely that the Premier League will have a nomination in the Top 3.
A couple of months earlier, FIFA handed out its ‘Best’ awards. The awarding of the Best Men’s Player to Luka Modric was a welcome change and it signalled that the award wasn’t given solely based on raw statistics.
However, this hasn’t always been the case over the past decade. There have been numerous players who have put in stellar performances throughout a season and yet haven’t been able to get their hands on the coveted prize. Through this article, we would look at four such players who could feel hard done by to have not been on the receiving end of the award.
Here is a look at those players:
#4 Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan and the Netherlands)
Wesley Sneijder was tipped for success at a very young age by many due to his precocious talent. However, he couldn’t really unlock his potential until he made the move to the San Siro.
The Dutchman arrived in Italy in the summer of 2009 and immediately made an impact. Blessed with the ability to play pin-point passes, Sneijder quickly became the heartbeat of the all-conquering Inter Milan side of 2009-10. Playing as an attacking midfielder, he helped in unlocking defences while also providing ammunition from outside the box.
Sneijder’s performances were a major driving force behind Inter’s unprecedented treble in the 2009-10 season. He helped set up the win against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League quarter finals while also scoring the equalising goal against Barcelona in the first leg of the semi-final. To cap it off, he provided the perfect pass for Milito to fire home the first goal of the final.
Additionally, Sneijder enjoyed a stellar World Cup in the summer of 2010, where Netherlands narrowly lost out in the final to Spain.
Not many people are able to win a treble with their club and also perform admirably on the international stage in the same season. Thus, his name not even appearing on the three-man shortlist seemed a bit harsh. For the crucial role he played in his team’s successes, he surely deserved the Ballon d’Or.
Therefore, he makes it to our list at No.4.
#3 Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich and France)
The Frenchman enjoyed a dream 2012-13 season, where he scored 16 goals in all competitions and garnered 29 assists along the way as well. The 2012-13 season was also a decorated season for his club, Bayern Munich, as they waltzed past everyone to a historic treble.
Throughout the season, Ribery was simply magnificent. Though his numbers paled in comparison to those produced by Messi and Ronaldo, he was much more influential than the numbers suggested. Ribery was a menace for defenders and was a complete team man. The Frenchman wasn’t afraid to carry out his defensive duties and lent his contribution to Bayern’s successes.
The 2012-13 season was probably the best in Ribery’s career. He stayed injury-free and performed to the best of his abilities. He was duly awarded the UEFA Best Player in Europe award yet he missed out on the Ballon d’Or that year.
In the end, the raw statistics of Messi and Ronaldo found more favour than the overall contribution of Ribery on the pitch. Unfortunately, Ribery who looked a real contender to break the duopoly, ended up empty-handed.
Hence, he makes it on to our list at No.3.
#2 Andres Iniesta (FC Barcelona and Spain)
The Spanish maestro is one of the greatest players to have never won the Ballon d’Or. The Spaniard was instrumental in Spain’s World Cup and Euro triumphs and became the torch-bearer of Spain’s golden generation.
In 2010, he was nominated in the Top 3 along with La Masia teammates, Xavi and Lionel Messi. However, he was pipped to the award by Lionel Messi and was consigned to the runner-up spot. Despite him losing out on the award in 2010, his best chance for glory came in 2012.
In the same year, Iniesta was awarded the UEFA Best Player in Europe. With that award, many believed that Iniesta would finally be rewarded for his sumptuous displays.
In addition to his irresistible performances for Barcelona, he helped Spain defend their Euro crown in 2012. He pulled the strings for Spain and distinguished himself as the best player at the European Championships.
With all these aspects in his favour, a Ballon d’Or seemed in his grasp yet he was overlooked again. Modric is an overwhelming favourite for the award this year, however, Iniesta had a significantly better season in 2012 and deserved to be honoured with the highest individual prize.
Iniesta, being the man that he is, wouldn’t have minded Messi scalping the award but those in the football fraternity felt that one of Spain’s greatest footballers had been robbed of the prize. Hence, he ranks at No.2 in our list.
#1 Xavi Hernandez (FC Barcelona and Spain)
At the top of our list is another Barcelona legend, Xavi Hernandez. The diminutive midfielder was the metronome in the Barcelona and Spanish midfield and epitomised their famed ‘tiki-taka’ philosophy.
Xavi made it to the Top 3 in 2009, 2010 and 2011. On each of the three occasions, he was left to ponder ‘what could have been’ as he failed to pick up the award. Xavi was the embodiment of a passing machine and rarely made a wrong decision with the ball at his feet. However, his lack of raw statistics, namely assists and goals led to his undoing.
At times, during 2009 and 2011, Xavi was simply unstoppable. He did not let opposition midfielders get close to him and even he if they did, he would leave them for dead with a simple drop of the shoulder. Barcelona and Spain enjoyed a lot of success during that tenure and Xavi was a major contributor.
As Pep Guardiola famously quipped once “Xavi is not just suited to the system, he is the system.” These comments highlight Xavi’s importance in building two great footballing sides.
If one compiles a list of the greatest midfielders to have ever played the ‘beautiful game’, Xavi would feature very prominently. There weren’t many who played the game as beautifully as Xavi and thus it is a shame that the footballing fraternity couldn’t honour him with the prestigious prize.
Therefore, he ranks as the unluckiest player to have not won the Ballon d’Or over the past decade.
