'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#3 Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos last made the Ballon d'Or 30-player shortlist in 2017 but it is criminal to know how little of individual praise he receives. Not only is he gifted with sniper-like vision but the actual ability to help the ball travel the distance between any two points on the pitch.
Kroos might be the most graceful and elegant pass maker in football this century and one can watch a showreel of his passing on loop. He is so often setting up the assist maker who sets up the goal.
The German has played a major chunk of his career as a No.8 and even while staying deep he can bypass the midfield at will. Dutch legend and three-time Ballon d'Or winner Johan Cruyff once said that Kroos "sees everything" there is to see on a football pitch.
The German is not the fastest or the most physical player but his quick decision making and masterful distribution is phenomenal. He sets the tempo of the game for his side time and again.
The midfielder is among the best to deliver a set-piece in football. He loves curling and gliding the ball with his right foot and in his sublime manner has been ruling the midfield. Even though the Ballon d'Or eludes him he is not shy of trophies.
The 2014 World Cup winner boasts three Bundesliga titles, two La Liga titles and four Champions League medals. Kroos' pass accuracy has never dropped below 92 per cent for Los Blancos in La Liga. He is full of creativity and in the past five seasons at Real Madrid, no player has made more chances than their No.8.
What more should the 31-year old have done or won to finish in the top-three of the Ballon d'Or?
#2 Paul Scholes
Being adjudged the most complete midfielder to ever play in the Premier League was not enough for Paul Scholes to enter the top-three of the Ballon d'Or. The ginger prince was a true genius of the game and there wasn't one aspect from the midfielder's textbook that he lacked.
In fact, he delivered more than there was ever written about the role. Scholes was the most decorated English player, having won 25 trophies with Manchester United. Yet, it would seem that the individual honor of the Ballon d'Or was somehow too sacred for the midfielder.
The Englishman could play as an advanced attacking midfielder as well as a deep-lying playmaker. Mentality, vision, touch, class, poise, Scholes had it all and in abundance. To give a perspective of Scholes' greatness, here is a quote from Xavi, a three-time Ballon d'Or podium finisher:
"In the last 15-20 years, the best central midfielder that I have seen - the most complete - is Scholes. He is a spectacular player who has everything. If he had been Spanish, then maybe he would have been valued more."
He won 11 Premier League titles with Manchester United, two Champions League titles and three FA Cups. Honestly, the joke is on whoever that decided to never consider Scholes for the Ballon d'Or podium.
#1 Ryan Giggs
There is only one man who boasts more Premier League medals than Paul Scholes and that is his team-mate Ryan Giggs, a record of 13. Yet Giggs will feel he was robbed, never being acknowledged with even a top-three Ballon d'Or finish, let alone winning the honor.
Giggsy was, in every manner, a symbol of consistency and loyalty. He mastered the art of scoring from wider areas and continued to put his killer instincts to the best of their use. When he wrong-footed a defender from that left flank, everyone knew Giggs was off to pick up an assist or get on the scoresheet.
The fact that he was able to sustain himself at the top level for nearly 20 years was just exemplary longetivity. Ballon d'Or winner Luis Figo had this to say about the Red Devils legend:
"He has the most talent than any other football player. He is delicate and dynamic. He is the player chosen by God."
As far as winning accolades were concerned, the Welsh international won it all with Manchester United. He won a grand total of 36 trophies in his entire career that included the famous European treble of 1998-99. Giggs registered a total of 250 assists in his career, of which 162 in the Premier League is a record. It is truly a shame that the Welshman's CV will never have a Ballon d'Or to reflect on.
