5 Oldest players to win the Ballon d'Or

The Ballon d'Or
The Ballon d'Or

#2 Lev Yashin (1963; 34 years, 1 month and 25 days)

1966 World Cup
1966 World Cup

When Lev Yashin won the award in 1963, he became the 2nd oldest player in history to do so and till date, is the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d'Or. Regarded as the greatest shot-stopper in history, Yashin was unbeatable on his day and won his side games single-handedly, as he spent the entirety of his playing career with Dinamo Moscow in his home country.

According to the records, Yashin saved a stunning 150 penalties in his career, which is miles ahead of any goalkeeper to have ever played the game and was nicknamed 'The Spider', as he dressed in all black every time he took to the pitch.

Yashin was much more than a goalkeeper, as he shouted orders to his teammates regularly and was an imposing presence to the opposition players. Yashin died in 1990 but left a lasting legacy behind, as he redefined the position and made history by winning the Ballon d'Or as a goalkeeper.

Aside from the Ballon d'Or, France Football have announced that the Lev Yashin Award will be handed out to the best goalkeeper of the year, with Liverpool's Alisson Becker becoming the first recipient of the award in 2019.

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