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Whether you call it unfair or well-deserved, the past decade has only seen two players win the Ballon d'Or - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The duo shares the record for the most Ballon d'Ors in the history of the award with five trophies each.
Their ten-year-long duopoly means no other player, no matter how good, could get his hands on the Golden Ball.
Many have come close to winning the award but have been denied by the undeniable talents of the longstanding talismanic duo.
Here, we take a look at a team of eleven great players who have never won the Ballon d'Or:
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon
Goalkeepers have been denied the Ballon d'Or the most as only one shot-stopper has ever won the award in its history. Dynamo Moscow goalkeeper, Lev Yashin, who played for the then-Soviet Union, was the man to do it.
A legendary goalkeeper who has been deprived of the award in modern football is Gianluigi Buffon.
The Italian shot-stopper lead Juventus to the Serie A title on seven consecutive occasions before leaving for Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain. The only major trophy that remains to be won by the Italian is the UEFA Champions League.
Internationally, Buffon won the FIFA World Cup with Italy in 2006.
The veteran keeper came very close to winning the award in 2006 but he finished second to his national teammate Fabio Cannavaro.
Defender: Paolo Maldini
Much like goalkeepers, defenders are often overlooked when it comes to the award, with attacking players taking all the plaudits.
Paolo Maldini has had an incredible career, having captained AC Milan and the Italian national team for several years.
The defender won 25 trophies with Milan including five UEFA Champions League trophies, seven Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italiana titles, four European Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup.
Internationally, 'Il Capitano' (The Captain) took part in four FIFA World Cups reaching the final of the 1994 World Cup and the semi-final of the 1990 World Cup.
Maldini was close to winning the award in 1994 but finished third as Pavel Nedved won the accolade.
Defender: Bobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore, more popularly known as Bobby Moore, is another defender who was under-appreciated in terms of the Ballon d'Or.
The former West Ham captain was considered the club's best ever player, winning the FA Cup in 1963–64 and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1964–65. He established himself as a legend at the East London outfit and the club even officially retired his number 6 shirt.
Moore was even described as the best defender they had ever seen by the likes of Pele and Franz Beckenbauer.
The English legend captained his national side at the tender age of 22 and went on to win the only FIFA World Cup for the Three Lions in 1966.
Moore came close to winning the Ballon d'Or in 1970 but finished second to Germany’s Gerd Muller.
Defender: Franco Baresi
Like Maldini, Italian legend Franco Baresi was also loyal to one club - AC Milan. The centre-back spent twenty years with the Serie A side, captaining the side to three European Cups.
During his time at Milan, Baresi won six Serie A titles, four Supercoppa Italiana trophies, two European Super Cups and two Intercontinental Cups.
Internationally, Baresi won the FIFA World Cup with Italy in 1982. He also captained the side that reached the 1994 World Cup final. He was also named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 1990.
Baresi was beaten to the Ballon d'Or by his AC Milan teammate Marco van Basten in 1989.
Defender: Philipp Lahm
German legend Philipp Lahm spent his entire career at Bayern Munich, besides a short spell away on loan at Stuttgart.
During his time with the giants, he won eight Bundesliga titles and the Champions League title in the 2012/13 season.
Internationally, Lahm captained his country to a World Cup title in 2014, becoming the first man since Lothar Matthaus to captain Germany to a world title.
Unlike the previous players, he was incredibly underrated and was never considered one of the favourites for the Ballon d’Or.
Midfielder: Xavi
Xavier Hernández Creus, more popularly known as Xavi, is one of the best centre midfielders in modern football.
The Spaniard spent seventeen years in Barcelona's first team, winning eight La Liga winners medals, four Champions League titles, and numerous domestic trophies. He is also often seen as the embodiment of the tiki-taka style of play, heightened during Pep Guardiola's tenure over the Catalan giants.
Internationally, Xavi was part of Spain’s golden era, that won two European Championships, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Xavi was one of the players who came really close to the award, having been included in the top three in 2008, 2009 and 2010, only to be denied by Ronaldo and Messi.
The former Barcelona man currently plays for Qatari club Al Sadd SC.
Midfielder: Andres Iniesta
Like Xavi, Andres Iniesta is considered one of the best midfielders in the game. Alongside Xavi and Sergio Busquets, he pulled strings at the Barcelona midfield, with the trio becoming one of the most lethal midfields the game has ever seen.
During his time at Camp Nou, Iniesta won two historic trebles in 2009 and 2015. This achievement including nine La Liga trophies and four UEFA Champions League titles, making him the most decorated Spanish footballer of all time.
Internationally, Iniesta helped Spain win the 2008 and 2012 editions of the Euros. He also played a pivotal role in his country's World Cup winning side in 2010, scoring what is now deemed the famous goal in the history of Spanish football, in the final against the Netherlands.
The veteran midfielder came close to winning the Ballon d'Or twice in his career - in 2010 when he finished second to Messi and in 2012 when he finished third to Ronaldo and Messi.
Midfielder: Andrea Pirlo
Legendary playmaker Andrea Pirlo was one of the calmest players to ever grace the game.
The Italian established himself as a world-class midfielder under Carlo Ancelotti at AC Milan, where he won two UEFA Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups, two Serie A titles, a FIFA Club World Cup, a Supercoppa Italiana, and a Coppa Italia. He later moved to Italian giants Juventus where he continued his exploits to add four more Serie A titles, two Supercoppa Italiana titles, and a Coppa Italia to his cabinet.
Pirlo then joined MLS franchise New York City in 2015 before retiring in 2017.
Internationally, Pirlo played a vital role in Italy's World Cup winning team in 2006, winning the Man of the Match in the final.
The closest he came to winning the Ballon d'Or was in 2007 when he finished fifth.
Midfield playmaker: Dennis Bergkamp
Arsenal legend Dennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp remains one of the best playmakers in football history.
Bergkamp shone when he moved to Premier League club Arsenal in 1995, establishing himself as a legend at the club, winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cup trophies. One of his winning Premier League campaigns included Arsenal's Invincibles season, where the club went an entire season unbeaten.
Internationally, Bergkamp surpassed Faas Wilkes's record to become the Netherland's top goalscorer of all time in 1998 but the record was later beaten by Patrick Kluivert, Robin van Persie and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
Bergkamp came close to winning the Ballon d'Or in 1992 and 1993, finishing third and second respectively.
Striker: Raul
Real Madrid legend Raul still remains one of the most important players in the history of the Los Blancos club.
The Spaniard spent sixteen years at the Bernabeu, winning six La Liga titles, three UEFA Champions League titles, four Supercopa de España titles, one UEFA Super Cup and two Intercontinental Cups with the side.
Raul was also the highest scorer in Champions League history with 71 goals until Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed the record.
The striker enjoyed immense success with Real Madrid before moving to Schalke, Al Sadd and New York Cosmos where he retired in 2015.
The only time the Spaniard came close to winning the Ballon d'Or was in 2001 when he finished second to Michael Owen.
Striker: Ferenc Puskas
Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas only played for two clubs in his career - Budapest Honvéd[1] (from 1943 to 1955) and Real Madrid (from 1958 to 66).
During his time at the Los Blancos side, he formed a dangerous partnership with Alfredo Di Stefano to become one of the best attacking duos in football.
Puskas won five consecutive La Liga titles and three European Cups with Real.
Internationally, the talisman netted 84 goals in 85 games, winning the 1952 Olympics with a 32-game unbeaten run.
The Real Madrid legend came closest to winning the Ballon d’Or in 1960 when he was ranked second.
