'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Ballon d'Or is football's most prestigious individual accolade. 'Ballon d'Or' is a French word which means 'Golden Ball', as the award is a football made of gold presented to the best player in the world.
It started in 1956, and was originally awarded to only European footballers. However, almost four decades later, every player in European football regardless of origin became eligible for it. In 2007, any player in world football became eligible to win the Ballon d'Or award.
Since its inception, 44 different players have won the award, with some of them doing so on multiple occasions. Ten players have won the Ballon d'Or award more than once, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo winning as many as 11 awards between them.
As the award is given to the best player in the world in a calendar year, many of the winners have been household names in football. There have, however, been some lesser-known recipients of the award, who have been largely forgotten over time.
On that note, here's a look at five such Ballon d'Or winners:
#5 Pavel Nedved
Pavel Nedved is currently the vice-chairman of Italian giants Juventus. During his playing days, the midfielder was widely regarded as one of the best players in the world. Nedved is one of the most successful players to emerge from the Czech Republic.
He joined Juventus in 2001 after five highly successful seasons at Lazio, where he won seven trophies. Nedved was signed to replace French legend Zinedine Zidane, who joined Real Madrid. Nedved quickly settled into the side and helped Juventus to the Serie A title.
His second season brought further success, as he helped Juventus to consecutive league titles as well as a place in the Champions League final. A suspension forced Nedved to sit out the Champions League title match, which the Bianconeri lost on penalties to AC Milan.
Nedved's exploits with Juventus that season helped him win several individual accolades. He was voted Serie A Footballer of the Year and also the Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year. The Czech was named UEFA Club Best Midfielder of the Year before winning the Ballon d'Or award at the end of the year.
#4 Igor Belanov
Igor Belanov is not a name many in the football world remembers. However, he won the Ballon d'Or award in 1986, finishing above Gary Lineker and ending Michael Platini's three-year reign.
Belanov joined Dynamo Kyiv in 1985 and helped them win the Soviet League and Soviet Cup in his debut season. The following campaign, he helped his club to another league title as well as the UEFA Cup Winner's Cup, where he was the top scorer.
Coupled with his exploits at Dynamo Kyiv, Belanov went on to represent USSR at the 1986 FIFA World Cup. Although USSR were eliminated in the Round of 16, the Dynamo Kyiv forward managed to win the Bronze Boot in the competition.
He was named the Ballon d'Or winner that year, beating Gary Lineker and Real Madrid's Emilio Butragueno to the award.
#3 Ruud Gullit
Former Ballon d'Or winner Ruud Gullit is widely renowned for his exploits for AC Milan and Netherlands. The same helped Gullit win the Ballon d'Or award in 1987, the year after Belanov's triumph.
Gullit joined AC Milan in 1987 from PSV, where he won back-to-back Eredivisie titles and scored 53 goals across two seasons. Gullit, in his debut season at Milan, helped the club to their first Serie A title in nine years. Playing predominantly on the right wing, Gullit scored 13 goals in all competitions in his debut campaign for Milan.
Gullit's performances with PSV in his final season as well as his exploits at AC Milan saw him win the Ballon d'Or award in 1987. He spent five more seasons in Italy, with AC Milan winning eight more trophies, before Gullit joined Sampdoria in 1993.
#2 Jean-Pierre Papin
Jean-Pierre Papin won the Ballon d'Or award in 1991 while at Marseille. The Frenchman is the only player to win the Ballon d'Or while playing for a French club.
Papin returned to France in 1986 after spending a highly prolific season in Belgium with Club Brugge. The French striker managed just 14 goals in his debut campaign and 23 in his next for Marseille. He, however, picked up the pace in his third season, hitting the 30-goal mark for four consecutive campaigns.
In the 1990-91 season, Papin helped Marseille to a third straight Ligue 1 title as well as a spot in the Champions League final. He finished as the French league's top scorer for a fourth consecutive season. He also was the Champions League top scorer for a second consecutive campaign.
Papin was crowned the Ballon d'Or winner in 1991 ahead of Inter Milan's Lothar Matthaus and Yugoslavians Darko Pancev and Dejan Savicevic.
#1 Matthias Sammer
Matthias Sammer might not be a name that rings bells, but the German beat Ronaldo Nazario and Newcastle legend Alan Shearer to the Ballon d'Or award in 1996. The quality of the competition Sammer beat is testament enough to his performances that year.
Sammer, in the early days of his career, played further up the pitch. However, in his first full season at Borussia Dortmund, he was moved to central defence, and the switch worked wonders for his side.
The defender helped Dortmund to consecutive Bundesliga and DFB Super Cup titles. After winning a domestic double with Dortmund in 1996, Sammers represented Germany in the European Championship that summer. He helped Germany win the competition and was named the Player of the Tournament.
The individual and team accolades Sammer gathered in 1996 culminated in the German winning the Ballon d'Or award. In the process, Sammer became the first defender to win the award since his compatriot Franz Beckenbauer.
