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The Ballon d'Or remains the highest individual accolade in the world of football, with some of the sport's biggest names having been bestowed with the honour. That includes the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano, Johan Cruyff, Ronaldo Nazario and Zinedine Zidane, who made us fall in love with the beautiful game.
Ballon d'Or winners, some of the best footballers in history, have represented some of the biggest clubs in world football. While the jury is still out on Lionel Messi's move to PSG, Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Real Madrid was arguably the most crucial transfer of his career.
The Portuguese won four Ballon d'Or accolades during his time in Madrid. The same, though, cannot be said of his 2018 summer move to Juventus. On that note, here's a look at the five Ballon d'Or winners who made wrong transfer decisions.
#5 Michael Owen to Real Madrid
Once regarded as the 'Golden Boy' of English football, Michael Owen endured a fall from grace during his time in the Spanish capital.
Owen rose to prominence in international football with a stunning solo goal against Argentina at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He carried on his excellent form at his boyhood club Liverpool, where he notched up a stunning tally of 158 goals and 49 assists in 297 appearances. Owen was at the peak of his powers in the early 2000s, winning the Ballon d'Or award in 2001 following a mini-continental treble (UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup) with Liverpool.
The Englishman earned a move to Real Madrid in 2004, and there were big expectations from him. However, the move didn't pan out according to the script.
The Ballon d'Or winner could never adapt to the rigours of Spanish football, and was shipped out to Newcastle United after just one season in Madrid. The Englishman could only manage a return of 16 goals in 45 appearances at the Bernabeu.
Owen's struggles in Spain seemed to have diminished his confidence, and he was never the same Ballon d'Or-winning player again.
#4 Ronaldinho to AC Milan
Ronaldinho will always have his name etched in Barcelona's folklore, but he dramatically fell off the pace after his move to AC Milan.
A major contributor to his drop-off has been his lavish lifestyle, along with several fitness and injury issues. In his younger days, Ronaldinho's extraordinary talent and abilities made him one of football's greatest-ever, papering over concerns about his fitness.
In an interview with SFR Sport, Ronaldinho's former PSG teammate Jerome Leroy said:
"Ronaldinho did not train at all on any day of the week. He would just turn up on the Friday for a game on the Saturday."
He added:
"In the mornings, Ronaldinho would turn up in sunglasses. He would get dressed, and go directly to the massage rooms to sleep."
That did not stop Ronaldinho from winning the Ballon d'Or award in 2005, and he is also a two-time winner of The Best FIFA Men's Player accolade. However, the Brazilian lasted only three years at AC Milan, making 95 appearances for the club.
In an earlier interview, then-AC Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti said:
"The decline of Ronaldinho hasn't surprised me. His physical condition has always been very precarious. His talent, though, has never been in question."
#3 Andriy Shevchenko to Chelsea
Andriy Shevchenko was one of the most lethal forwards the game has ever seen, especially during his time at AC Milan, where he won the Champions League trophy and the 2004 Ballon d'Or award.
Shevchenko is Ukraine's all-time leading goalscorer, and also led the goalscoring charts in three Champions League editions. The prolific forward made the move to London in the summer of 2006 amid huge expectations from the Chelsea faithful. It was a statement signing of sorts, as Chelsea announced to the footballing world that they could attract the biggest names in the game.
Shevchenko was a favourite of Roman Abramovich, who arrived at Stamford Bridge with a burgeoning reputation, but things didn't exactly go to plan for the Ukrainian. His stint in the Premier League lasted only three years, one of which was spent on loan at AC Milan.
Chelsea's style of play didn't really suit Shevchenko, and he never really adapted to the demands of English football. In 77 appearances for the Blues, the former Ukraine manager could find the back of the net 22 times.
In contrast, Shevchenko was directly involved in 220 goals (175 goals and 45 assists) in 322 appearances for Milan.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus
Portuguese megastar Cristiano Ronaldo shocked the footballing world when he chose to leave Real Madrid after nine trophy-laden years at the club.
Juventus announced the signing of Ronaldo in the summer of 2018, and the Portuguese hit the ground running almost immediately. In his first season at the club, Ronaldo racked up 28 goals and 11 assists in 43 appearances. He bettered his goalscoring haul the next season, finding the back of the net 37 times in 46 appearances.
Ronaldo has already registered over 100 goals for Juventus in three years at the club, becoming the first player to score 50+ goals in three of Europe's top leagues - Serie A, La Liga and Premier League.
For the other Ballon d'Or winners on our list, their move did not work out because they didn't adapt to a new country or fell out of form. In Ronaldo's case, the team around him was an ageing unit, and became a shadow of the world-class squad it once was. Some of Juventus' best players last season, including Alvaro Morata and Federico Chiesa, are on loan from Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina, respectively.
Perhaps it would have made more sense for the now-36-year-old to spend some of his last years in professional football with the more promising squads of PSG, Manchester City, Chelsea or Manchester United, to name a few.
#1 Kaka to Real Madrid
Much like Shevchenko, the Brazilian sensation Kaka could not adapt to Jose Mourinho's defensive and counter-attacking playing style.
Both Shevchenko and Kaka were players who liked time on the ball, and had the extraordinary ability to make things happen with the ball at their feet. Mourinho set up defensively well-drilled and well-oiled teams at Real Madrid, which failed to fully utilise the talents of the Brazilian magician.
Kaka showcased some of his best football during his six-year spell at AC Milan. The Brazilian was at his peak in the late 2000s, propelling the Rossoneri to Champions League glory in 2006-07 and taking home the Ballon d'Or award at the end of the year.
Kaka was the top scorer in AC Milan's glorious Champions League campaign that year; he also won the Serie A, Supercoppa Italiana, FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA SuperCup.
However, the now 39-year old failed to recreate something similar in the Spanish capital. Kaka struggled with injury and fitness for most parts of his Madrid career, registering only 120 appearances in over four years at the club.
In retrospect, Kaka would have been better off continuing at AC Milan, as the Rossoneri's style of play suited him far more than Mourinho's defensive approach.
