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The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual award a player can win in football.
It is awarded annually to the standout footballer of the year and has been held by some of the greatest players of all time like Johann Cruyff, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, to name a few.
Five most undeserving Ballon d'Or winners:
There have been many great players who haven't won the coveted Ballon d'Or award even though they were seemingly more deserving than the eventual winner.
On that note, we take a look at the five most undeserving Ballon d'Or winners in the history of the award.
#5 Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid/Italy) - 2006
Fabio Cannavaro was undoubtedly one of the best centre-backs in the world in 2006. He captained Italy to a FIFA World Cup win that year and was a defensive stalwart at the back for the Azzurri.
However, Cannavaro was part of an Italian backline that was seen as one of the greatest of all time. That's why his win came as a shock to some people, as they believed the man playing in goal behind Cannavaro - Gianluigi Buffon - deserved the award more than the defender did.
Buffon was arguably the best goalkeeper in the world at that time, putting in multiple match-winning displays and conceding only two goals during the tournament. His exploits for Italy during the 2006 FIFA World Cup were thought to be enough to warrant him the Ballon d'Or award, but that was not to be.
#4 Luka Modric (Real Madrid/Croatia) - 2018
Without undermining any of Luka Modric's achievements in 2018, the Croatian midfielder did not deserve to win the Ballon d'Or award that year.
Granted he captained Croatia to the final at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, but Modric's goal-contributions to club and country did not warrant him the award ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
That's not to take away from Modric's heroics at the quadrennial tournament, where he undoubtedly did deserve the Golden Ball. But the Croatian had a rather moot year for Real Madrid, scoring only twice and assisting eight goals in 43 games in 2017-18.
In contrast, his competitior for that year's Ballon d'Or award, Cristiano Ronaldo bagged 44 goals and eight assists in 44 appearances for Real Madrid in 2017-18. Another competitor, Lionel Messi finished fifth in the 2018 Ballon d'Or voting, had 45 goals and 18 assists in 54 appearances for Barcelona that season.
#3 Michael Owen (Liverpool/England) - 2001
Michael Owen, who won the Ballon d'Or in 2001, was very impressive for Liverpool that year, winning three trophies with the Reds.
The Englishman scored 24 goals that season as Liverpool went on to win the League Cup, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup. However, his achievements that year could not hold a candle to Real Madrid striker Raul.
The Spaniard finished the season with 32 goals in 50 games and won the Pichichi award that year. Moreover, the striker finished the year with a La Liga title and a Champions League to boot after finished as the top scorer in that edition of the European competition.
So when Owen won the Ballon d'Or award over Raul in 2001, it left people scratching their heads, as the Spaniard clearly had a better season than Owen.
#2 Pavel Nedved (Juventus/Czech Republic) - 2003
The fact that Thierry Henry has never won a Ballon d'Or in his illustrious career is quite simply a travesty.
The Frenchman is thought to be the best player to ever play in the Premier League. Henry was at the peak of his powers in 2003. However, Juventus winger Pavel Nedved went home with the Ballon d'Or award that year.
Granted, Juventus did well that season, retaining their Serie A title as well as lifting the Italian Supercoppa, but there could have been a host of players on the Juventus team who could have been credited as well. Nedved finished that season with eight goals in all competitions, which definitely wasn't even close to warrant him the Ballon d'Or award that year.
When compared to Henry, who had 42 goals and 26 assists that season, Nedved's exploits pale in comparison. The Frenchman ended up winning only the FA Cup with Arsenal that year but went home with the PFA Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year awards though.
#1 Matthias Sammer (Borussia Dortmund/Germany) - 1996
Matthias Sammer was a solid workhorse in the middle of the park for Borussia Dortmund and Germany.
The defensive midfielder was technically good on the ball and strong in the tackle. But none of that warranted him being anywhere near the Ballon d'Or award in 1996. But the midfielder won the award over two of the greatest strikers of all time.
Alan Shearer, who finished third in the Ballon d'Or voting that year, won the Premier League Golden Boot and PFA Player of the Year awards, which definitely made him more deserving of the Ballon d'Or award than Sammer. Shearer scored 28 goals in all competitions that season and took Newcastle to an unprecedented second place finish in the Premier League.
The player who finished second that year in the Ballon d'Or votes was none other than Ronaldo Nazario. The Brazilian finished the season with 34 goals in 37 games for Barcelona, finishing as the La Liga's top scorer.
Ronaldo led Barcelona to the Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, finishing the season with 47 goals and winning the European Golden Shoe.
It was widely expected that Ronaldo, the future World Cup winner, would win the award that year, but the Brazilian finished a point behind Sammer in terms of votes received
