All-time Ballon d'Or XI

We are just a few days away from the Ballon d'Or ceremony, where one footballer will be honoured as the best player in the world. Since its inception in 1956, the Ballon d'Or is by far the most prestigious individual honour that a footballer can receive.

The Golden Ball, as it is also known, has been won by some of the world's greatest players. Since 2007, national team captains, coaches, and journalists collectively vote for who they think has been the best player in the calendar year. 44 players have won the award in its history, and every one of them is considered to be an all-time great.

This time around, it is a certainty that either of Lionel Messi or Virgil van Dijk will win the award. The Argentine will win the trophy for a record 6th time if he is victorious, whereas Van Dijk will be the first defender in over a decade to win it if he finishes on top.

Goalkeeper - Lev Yashin

Lev Yashin keeping for his national team

A Soviet international, the legendary Lev Yashin is considered by many to be the greatest goalkeeper of all time. The goalkeeper is the only player from his position to ever win the Ballon d'Or - he did so in 1963. Manuel Neuer finished third in the voting in 2014, and no other goalkeeper has come closer to matching Yashin's finish.

Yashin earned status for revolutionising the goalkeeping position by imposing his authority on the entire defence. He played the role of a sweeper-keeper at times and was a vocal figure at the back known for his athleticism, positioning, stature, bravery, and acrobatic reflex saves. He gained worldwide popularity in 1958 and was affectionately called the "Black Spider" due to his dark attire.

Defence

Centre-back - Fabio Cannavaro

If Virgil van Dijk is to win the Ballon d'Or, he will be only the second defender this decade to win the award - the first being Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.

Cannavaro led Italy to victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and was given the nickname "Il Muro di Berlino" (The Berlin Wall) by the Italian supporters due to his defensive performances in the tournament. Due to his impressive shift in the World Cup, the Italian international was awarded the Ballon d'Or.

Cannavaro excelled at reading the game, and he was renowned for his ball-playing ability and aerial prowess. The centre-back is one of the best defenders ever.

Centre-back - Franz Beckenbauer

Franz Beckenbauer (right) is regarded as the best defender of all time

Ever-present in the conversation for the best European player of all time, Der Kaiser (The Emperor) is widely regarded as the greatest defender to ever play the game. He is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper and was known for his leadership and dominance on the field.

Franz Beckenbauer won the Ballon d'Or twice - in 1972 and 1976. He was the first captain to lift the World Cup and European Championship at international level and the European Cup at club level. The German international has been named in the FIFA World Cup Dream Team and the World Team of the 20th Century.

There are a lot of adjectives we can use to describe this phenomenal talent - calling him the best to ever do what he did will suffice here.

Centre-back - Mathias Sammer

Matthias Sammer is one of the only three defenders to win the Ballon d'Or

Mathias Sammer is the second last defender, and the last German international to win the award. The centre-back was awarded the trophy in 1996, due to his performances in Euro 1996 where he led his country to glory.

Sammer initially played as a defensive midfielder, but his best days came as a sweeper defender. The German international has won the Champions League and the Bundesliga, and he is one of the best defenders of all time.

Midfield

Central midfielder - Zinedine Zidane

Zidane has conquered football both as a player and as a manager

Although Zinedine Zidane won the Ballon d'Or only once in his lifetime, it would be unfair to leave him off this list. Considered the greatest midfielder of the past 30 years, there is nothing that the French international has not accomplished in his career.

An elite playmaker renowned for his elegance, vision, passing, ball control, and technique on the ball, Zidane's first touch is one of the most aesthetic sights in football. The World Cup-winner is one of the greatest performers in big games, and his exploits in two different World Cups are legendary.

The current Real Madrid manager just edges out Lothar Matthaus for a spot in this team.

Central-midfielder - Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff is one of the greatest personalities in the history of the sport

Johan Cruyff won the Ballon d'Or thrice - in 1971, 1973, and 1974. However, his impact on the game goes way beyond awards - the midfielder is credited as being the embodiment of the "Total Football" system explored by Rinus Michels. As one of the greatest minds the sport has ever seen, Cruyff's style and philosophy have inspired the greatest of the greats - including Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, and Arsene Wenger.

Considered by many to be the greatest European player ever, Cruyff was a midfielder who could do it all on the pitch. The team's orchestrator, he was a creative playmaker with a gift for timing passes. He often used to play as a forward, but his major contributions came as a player who managed the team on the field and dictated all the plays.

An entire book can be written on Cruyff's impact on the game - his inclusion here is without any debate.

Attacking midfielder - Michel Platini

Michel Platini is a 3-time winner of the Ballon d'Or

One of the greatest players of all time, Michel Platini created history when he won the Ballon d'Or three times on the bounce. He came in 6th in the FIFA Player of the Century vote.

Platini was primarily an attacking midfielder, incredibly good at taking set-pieces and finding an open teammate with a pass which only he could see. The midfielder was great technically and had amazing dribbling and ball control skills which made him a menace to play against.

Platini makes this list over the likes of Ronaldinho and Sir Bobby Charlton - these two are legends, but just not as consistently good as the three-time Golden Ball winner.

Attacking midfielder - Lionel Messi

When it is all said and done, Lionel Messi might go down as the undisputed greatest of all time. No one has won more Ballon d'Or's than the little magician, and a 6th victory this year would make him the single-most successful player in the history of this award.

In truth, Messi could fit into this team as either a CM, a striker, a winger, or an AM. The Argentine captain is just that good. Winning everything there is to win with Barcelona, the 5 time Ballon d'Or winner is also the only player to win this award four years in a row - a record which will likely never be broken.

A deadly finisher, a lethal passer, and one of the best dribblers of all time, you cannot think of the Ballon d'Or without thinking of Messi.

Attack

Forward - Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo shows off his Ballon d'Or collection

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most complete players of all time. A case can be made for the Portuguese being the best European player ever - and honestly, who can dispute that?

Barring a World Cup victory, Ronaldo has done it all - he is the all-time leading goalscorer for Real Madrid, he has won the Ballon d'Or a joint-record five times, he is a five-time winner of the Champions League, and he led his team to glory in the Euro 2016 tournament.

Perhaps the most hard-working athlete in the history of the sport, Ronaldo will go down as one of the best to ever kick a football.

Forward - Marco van Basten

Marco van Basten could have been the greatest ever if not for injuries

This was the toughest choice to make - either of Gerd Muller or Marco van Basten equally deserve a place on this list. However, due to the latter's 3 Ballon d'Or wins as compared to the former's singular victory, van Basten makes this list.

Scoring 300 goals in a high-profile career which saw him conquer the world, the Dutch international is one of the best strikers ever. Known for his close ball control, attacking intelligence, impeccable headers, and spectacular strikes and volleys, van Basten won the Ballon d'Or in 1988, 1989, and 1992.

The striker is also football's biggest what-if story - he played his last game at the age of 28 and was forced to retire due to injuries. At the time, he was entering his prime years as a striker, and who knew how the world of football would be today had Van Basten played 5 more years? We can only speculate.

Forward - Ronaldo Nazario

Ronaldo is the first South-American to win the Ballon d'Or after the rules changed in 1995. Popularly dubbed El Fenomeno (The Phenomenon), he is widely considered one of the greatest football players of all time.

At his peak, there was no one in world football who could stop this striker. By the age of 23, the forward had scored a ridiculous 200 goals for club and country and had already broken the world record transfer fee twice. Ronaldo was known for his dribbling, finishing, pace, and athleticism, which made him the most lethal forward in decades.

Barring Pele, perhaps no striker in the history of this game was dominant at Ronaldo in his prime. His story is yet another what-if - the striker was plagued by knee injuries throughout his career and never managed to stay healthy as consistently as the others on this list. Regardless, he is a World Cup winner who has won the Ballon d'Or twice (1997, and 2002).

There is no arguing about his place on this list.