7 times when the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year did not win Ballon d'Or

The World is readying itself for 3rd December 2018, when the winner of the Ballon d'Or 2018 will be announced. As of now the front-runner to the trophy is Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, who has already lifted the FIFA's Best Men Player of the Year Award on 24th September 2018. The Croatian saw off competition from Ronaldo and Salah and received 29.05% of the votes and if one goes by history, this makes Modric the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or too. The last two FIFA's Best Awards were both won by Ronaldo, who also went on to win the Ballon d'Or in both years. But this is not the only time that the two most coveted individual trophies in football have been won by the same player in the same year.

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The FIFA's Best Awards famously replaced the FIFA World Player of the Year Award from 2016 onward and there was an uncanny similarity between the award and the Ballon d'Or since the inception of the FIFA Awards. More often than not, the winner chosen by FIFA would go on to be the winner chosen by France Football or vice versa, which makes Modric the safest bet to win the Ballon d'Or this year.

However, there have been instances where the FIFA award and the Ballon d'Or was not won by one individual in the same year. Today, we take a look at the 7 times when the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year did not win the Ballon d'Or.

#7 Lothar Matthäus (1991)

In the very first year of the FIFA World Player of the year award, German legend Lothar Matthäus won the trophy on 8th December 1991. He received 128 points, seeing off competition from Frenchman Jean-Pierre Papin, who finished second with 113 points and English Striker Gary Lineker, who came third with 40 points. However, the Frenchman did get his due, come the end of December.

On 24th December, Jean-Pierre Papin of Marseille received the Ballon d'Or, with 141 points, whereas Matthäus came second, receiving 42 points, along with Darko Pančev and Dejan Savićević of Yugoslavia. Papin had won the French Division 1 with Marseille and had finished the season as the top scorer in both Division 1 as well as the European Cup, where Marseille had lost the final to Red Star Belgrade.

#6 Hristo Stoichov (1994)

The 1994 Ballon d'Or was awarded to Hristo Stoichov on 20th December 1994. The Bulgarian secured 210 points, beating the likes of Roberto Baggio, who came second with 136 points and Paolo Maldini, who finished third with 109 points. However, when the FIFA World Player of the Year 1994 was announced on 30th January 1995, Stoichov finished second, as Brazilian Romario was chosen the winner. Romario had received 346 points compared to the Bulgarian's 100. It was another instance when the two awards were won by two different individuals in the same year.

#5 Ronaldo (1996)

Matthias Sammer became only the second defender in the history of the awards to win the Ballon d'Or on 24th December 1996, when he narrowly edged out a young Ronaldo. The German had secured 144 points, whereas the Brazilian finished with 143. Alan Shearer made up the top three with 107 points. However, when the 1996 FIFA World Player of the Year was declared on 20th January 1997, the tides had turned.

Ronaldo won the award with 329 points, as George Weah finished second with 140 points. Shearer was third again, with 123 points. The Brazilian still remains the youngest player to win the award ever.

#4 Zinedine Zidane (2000)

On 11th December 2000, French sensation Zinedine Zidane won the 2000 FIFA World Player of the Year, finishing with 370 points. Luis Figo came second with 329 points, whereas Brazilian midfielder Rivaldo came third with 263 points. Zidane was fresh off a triumphant UEFA Euro 2000 campaign, where he had guided France to the trophy and as such, Zizou was expected to win the Ballon d'Or as well.

However, 8 days later on 19th December, the results were a little different. Luis Figo won the Ballon d'Or, finishing with 197 points while Zidane came second with 181 points. The two of them would go on to play together in the same Real Madrid team in the future.

#3 Luis Figo (2001)

2001 saw a nail-biting end to the year, as both awards were supposed to be declared in a space of two days. On 17th December 2001, Luis Figo won the 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, pipping English sensation David Beckham who came second. The Portuguese finished with 250 points, whereas Beckham had gathered 238. When the Ballon d'Or was awarded a day later on 18th December, the whole world was in for a surprise.

Young English Striker Michael Owen had finished 7th in the race to the FIFA World Player of the Year award but was declared the 2001 Ballon d'Or winner. He had received 176 points, while Raul had finished second with 140 points. German Goalkeeper Oliver Kahn came third with 114 points.

#2 Zinedine Zidane (2003)

Zinedine Zidane might have exited the 2002 World Cup under humiliating circumstances, but the French midfielder played a fabulous season with Real Madrid and won the 2003 FIFA World Player of the Year on 15th December 2003, for a then record-equaling third time. The Frenchman finished with 264 points, ahead of his countryman Thierry Henry, who came second with 200 points. Ronaldo came third with 176 points.

A week later on 22nd December, the Ballon d'Or winner was declared. Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedved became only the second Czech player to win the award, as he finished with 180 points. Henry finished second yet again, with 128 points, while Italian defender Paolo Maldini came third with 123 points.

#1 Ronaldinho (2004)

The year 2004 was special in many ways, but for Football fans, it was the last time that the two biggest individual awards in football was won by two different individuals.

On 15th December 2004, Andriy Shevchenko won the 2004 Ballon d'Or on the back of a fantastic season. He secured 175 points, finishing ahead of Portuguese midfielder Deco, who had gathered 139 points to come second and Brazilian wizard Ronaldinho, who had come third with 133 points.

5 days later though, the tables were turned yet again. Ronaldinho was adjudged the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year, on 20th December. The Brazilian had secured the award with 620 points, while Shevchenko had come third with 253 points. French Striker Thierry Henry had finished second yet again, this time with 552 points.