5 most surprising Ballon d'Or candidates of all time

#2 Yoann Gourcuff (2009)

His last appearance for France came in 2013

Once regarded as the next Zidane, Gourcuff seemed to peak in his early twenties. As a 23-year-old, the midfielder earned a generous place of 20th in the 2009 vote for the best player. Although this was hardly deserved, many expected him to keep developing into a world class player.

Unfortunately a long rumoured move to the Premier League never materialised and instead he struggled to continue his develop due to a series of injuries. Now aged 32, the Frenchman has only managed to make more than 20 appearances in one out of the last seven seasons.