Ballon d'Or: Ranking the top 5 midfielders to have won the award

#3 Zinedine Zidane (1998)

Zidane wo the Ballon d'Or in 1998

Zinedine Zidane is widely regarded as the best midfielder of his generation and one of the best players in history and you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who disputes this.

He represented Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus, and Real Madrid in his legendary career and it was with the Bianconerri that Zidane established himself as a world-class player, displaying his talents at a time that the Serie A was at its strongest and helping the Turin giants to six major trophies.

His displays In Italy prompted a world-record transfer to Real Madrid in 2001 and he immediately made an impact, helping the club win the Champions League in their centenary year, with his tournament clinching goal against Bayer Leverkusen going down as one of the most legendary in history.

There was also success on their international scene with France, with the World Cup and Euro added to his glittering collection at club level.

It was on the global stage on home soil that the man fondly called 'Zizou' cemented his legacy and despite having not scored a goal as France made it to the final against overwhelming favorites Brazil, Zidane put the South Americans to the sword with a brace at the Stade de France to help Les Bleus to their maiden World Cup.

He was named man of the match in the final, becoming an instant national icon in the process and made up for his runners-up finish the year earlier with his only Ballon d'Or win in addition to the FIFA World Best Player in 1998.

He was not the most illustrious of goalscorers (he scored just over 150 goals in his career), but what he lacked in goalscoring ability, Zidane made up with his brilliant technique, control, and vision on the pitch.

Though his career ended in ignominy with that infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in 2006, it takes nothing away from the fact that Zinedine Zidane was one of the greatest to ever grace a football field.