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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the very best footballers of all time, arguably even surpassing the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona in the pantheon of the sport's greats.
Between them, the unstoppable pair has won every single Ballon d'Or award as the best player in the world going back to 2007. It is an unprecedented level of dominance that has seen many players, who in normal circumstance would be absolutely deserving of the prize, not get the recognition their talent might have received in a different era.
The following seven players have never won the Ballon d'Or and at least five of them never will because of what Messi and Ronaldo have achieved.
Xavi (Barcelona & Spain)
Barcelona midfield maestro Xavi had been a first-team player since the late 1990s when he was promoted from the youth ranks by coach Louis van Gaal. But it wasn't until the mid-2000s when Frank Rijkaard and later Pep Guardiola took over that he flourished into the world-class superstar we remember him as today.
Xavi was a star of Barcelona's 2008/09 treble-winning side, following that up by playing an equally important role in Spain's 2010 World Cup winning squad. He would surely have been a Ballon d'Or winner in any other generation.
Fernando Torres (Liverpool & Spain)
Hard as it may be to believe now given the nature of his goal-shy existence at Chelsea following what was then a British record £50m fee and a less than stellar spell at AC Milan, Fernando Torres was the most feared 'number nine' in the world back in 2008.
His electric pace was the stuff of nightmares for Premier League defenders when at Liverpool, while he scored the winning goal in the Euro 2008 final that sealed Spain's long overdue first international silverware in 44 barren years.
Andres Iniesta (Barcelona & Spain)
Much like long time colleague Xavi, Andres Iniesta was central to the success of his club and country over a number of years and was arguably never in better form than he was in 2010 when he helped Spain conquer the world.
Iniesta had already been mesmeric as Barcelona played Manchester United off the pitch in the 2009 Champions League final and would be so again two years later against the same opposition, while it was fitting that he should score the winning goal in the World Cup final.
Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich & France)
Initially, a journeyman who struggled to settle in the first five years of his professional career, turning out for five different clubs, Franck Ribery found his feet after moving to Bayern Munich in 2007 and propelling himself to a level that had previously seemed unlikely.
Ribery enjoyed a marvellous 2012/13 season as Bayern swept all before them to complete a first-ever Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Champions League treble. He then enjoyed an even better start to 2013/14 on a personal level and was among the very best there was.
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich & Germany)
Manuel Neuer has been credited over recent years with redefining the art of modern goalkeeping, bring his unique brand of sweeper-keeper to the fore, playing with his feet, and inspiring a whole new generation of elite stoppers.
In 2014, following more Bundesliga dominance with Bayern Munich and World Cup glory with Germany, Neuer came close to becoming the first goalkeeper since the legendary 'Black Panther' Lev Yashin in 1963 to win the Ballon d'Or and be recognised as best in the world.
Neymar (Barcelona/PSG & Brazil)
Neymar first played his way into Ballon d'Or contention during only his second season at Barcelona following a much talked about move from Santos. As a part of the deadly 'MSN' trio, he provided incredible flair with ruthless efficiency with 39 goals in all competitions.
In 2017, the Brazilian found new levels as a superstar and became the most expensive player in history when he completed a €222m transfer to Paris Saint-Germain. It brought tremendous pressure, but he didn't let it hold him back and took France by storm.
Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid & France)
Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann was in the running for the Ballon d'Or in 2016 and is likely to be again in 2018. The 2015/16 campaign is still the most prolific of his career with 32 goals in all competitions as Atletico reached the Champions League final.
He couldn't inspire France to Euro 2016 glory that year, but he was a World Cup winner this year, having had another supreme season with Atletico that ended with continental success in the victorious Europa League final.
