4 Unlucky players to miss out on the Ballon d’Or in the past decade

#1 Xavi Hernandez (FC Barcelona and Spain)

Xavi was the heartbeat of FC Barcelona

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.