The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual prize in football. It is an award that goes to the best in the business over the course of a calendar year. But there have been times when the award has not exactly ended up in the most worthy pair of hands.The Ballon d'Or is almost synonymous with the Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi rivalry. Both of these great players have shared a duopoly over the award. Between them, they have won 11 of the last 12 Ballons d'Or.Until 1995, the Ballon d'Or was awarded to the best European footballer. It was then expanded to include players from all around the world. Despite the award being chosen via a voting system, there are a lot of players who have been robbed off the Ballon d'Or till date.Without further ado, let's take a look at five players who were lucky to win the Ballon d'Or award.#5 Luka Modric (Croatia/Real Madrid) - 2018Real Madrid CF v Rayo Vallecano de Madrid - La LigaLuka Modric did have a stellar year for both club and country in 2018. He won the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid and led Croatia to the final of the World Cup in Russia. While the Golden Ball he won at the quadrennial tournament was well deserved, the Ballon d'Or should have gone to someone else.Modric did not exactly have a sensational season for Real Madrid, scoring two goals and providing eight assists in 43 appearances. In fact, his contributions pale in comparison to that of Cristiano Ronaldo's.The Portuguese superstar scored 44 goals, provided eight assists and was a standout performer for Los Blancos in their Champions League triumph.Lionel Messi, who finished fifth in the Ballon d'Or race in 2018 had 45 goals and 18 assists to his name in 54 appearances for Barcelona. While the World Cup was a major decisive factor, Modric was lucky to have won the Ballon d'Or as he wasn't as consistent as his competition.Modric ends 10 years of Messi/Ronaldo Ballon d'Or dominance pic.twitter.com/AUydlO8dni— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 3, 2018#4 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid) - 2013Real Madrid CF v Granada CF - La LigaWhile Cristiano Ronaldo did have a phenomenal season at an individual level in 2012-13, the Ballon d'Or could have so easily gone to a more worthy candidate. Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery was unstoppable that year and played a huge role as the Bavarians won the continental treble.Ronaldo scored 55 goals and provided 13 assists for Real Madrid and usually that'd be more than enough to win the prestigious award. However, many critics believe that Franck Ribery's contribution to Bayern Munich that year was overlooked.Playing as a winger, Ribery scored 11 goals and provided 23 assists in 43 appearances across all competitions for Bayern Munich in the 2012-13 season. They won the Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League, DFB Pokal and the DFB Supercup and Ribery was their guiding light.2010: Ribery suspended, lose UCL final2012: Robben misses penalty, lose UCL final2013: Ribery assists Robben's 89th minute winner to win UCLLost together, came back together, won together. Frank Ribery's a free agent & Arjen Robben's retired. The end of an era 👏 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/BYGWd1IIBS— GiveMeSport (@GiveMeSport) July 15, 2021