5 players who could have won the Ballon d'Or if they lived up to their potential

#3 Eden Hazard (Belgium/Real Madrid)

Athletic Club v Real Madrid CF - La Liga Santander

When Eden Hazard finally sealed his dream move to Real Madrid in 2019, it looked like his career was going to hit unprecedented heights. Hazard had been immense for Chelsea between 2012 and 2019.

He was the Blues' standout performer as they won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two Europa League titles and one League Cup in that period. Hazard was Chelsea's Player of the Year in four different seasons. He also won the Premier League Player of the Year and the PFA Players' Player of the Season Award once each.

For a while, Hazard was the best player in the world after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and he was tipped to win the Ballon d'Or at some point. He had incredible technique, close control, game intelligence and was also an excellent finisher.

But Hazard's career hit a brick wall after he joined Real Madrid. The Belgian international struggled for form amid fitness concerns and his stint at the Santiago Bernabeu has been massively underwhelming.

Having been roped in on a deal worth €115 million, he is Real Madrid's most expensive signing. But he is also now close to being written off as their biggest transfer flop. In 59 appearances across all competitions for Real Madrid in two and a half seasons, he has scored just five goals and provided 10 assists.

#2 Gareth Bale (Wales/Real Madrid)

Levante UD v Real Madrid CF - La Liga Santander

Gareth Bale has had an illustrious football career. It is a pity that injury issues and a love for golf over Real Madrid has come to define his career in its latter stages. At his peak, the Welshman was the best winger in the world.

Bale first grabbed the headlines at Tottenham Hotspur. He was already known for his freakish speed and technical abilities during his early days at Southampton. But at Spurs, he developed into a monster that defenders hated coming up against.

In the 2012-13 season, Bale scored 26 goals and provided 15 assists in 44 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur. He won the PFA Players' Player of the Year Award in the 2010-11 and 2012-13 seasons.

His performances in the 2010-11 Champions League helped him garner attention from European heavyweights. Real Madrid made him their most expensive transfer at the time by signing him for around €90 million.

Bale's impact was instant and he helped Real Madrid win the Copa Del Rey and UEFA Champions League in his debut season in Spain. He scored in both finals as well. Alongside Ronaldo and Benzema, Bale formed an incredible attacking trio that didn't seem to have any weaknesses.

However, Bale's injury issues worsened from then on. Even though he was incredible for Real Madrid whenever he was available, he started to feature much less than he used to. Over time, Bale's relationship with Real Madrid worsened and it became clear quite soon that he was past his prime.

He had a fractured relationship with Zinedine Zidane. The French coach refused to start Bale in the 2017-18 Champions League final. The Welshman came off the bench and scored two goals to help Real Madrid win the title.

Bale has still won two La Liga titles and four Champions League titles with Real Madrid. But it's unfortunate that the Welshman never even made it to the Ballon d'Or top three despite all his talent.

#1 Neymar Jr. (Brazil/Paris Saint-Germain)

Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain: Group A - UEFA Champions League

When Neymar Jr. broke onto the scene, he was immediately heralded as heir-apparent to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He was the best player to come out of Brazil since Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. The Brazilian had that samba flair about him and he was also an intelligent footballer.

He had no trouble settling down at Barcelona following an €86 million move in 2013. Neymar hit the ground running at the Camp Nou and started wreaking havoc alongside Lionel Messi. But it was during the 2014-15 treble-winning season that the world acknowledged the phenomenon that Neymar is.

He scored 39 goals and provided 10 assists in 51 appearances for the Catalans that season. Neymar Jr. finished third in the Ballon d'Or race in 2015 and 2017 but it's as close as he would come. He was an extremely important player for Barcelona up until his departure in the summer of 2017.

It was widely reported that Neymar left Barcelona to escape Lionel Messi's shadow and go onto achieve greater things including the Ballon d'Or. He has been exceptional for PSG. But injury issues and a lack of major trophies at both the club and international levels have stopped him from winning the Ballon d'Or.

He finished third in the Ballon d'Or in 2017 as well but could never pip Ronaldo or Messi to the most prestigious individual prize in football.