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#2 Steven Gerrard 2005
If the Ballon d’Or is given for individual performances over a year then this man deserved it in 2005 and why exactly? Well, that’s because of what he did during the road to Istanbul and during the game at Istanbul in 2005. That’s where Gerrard guided Liverpool to their 5th Champions League title against all odds.
A very average Liverpool side were playing a very strong AC Milan side in the final of the Champions League in 2005. Liverpool were trailing 3-0 at half-time and an inspirational performance by the Liverpool captain leveled the score at 3-3 by the 60th minute of the game. Such was the individual charisma Gerrard had.
He was named the UEFA Club footballer of the year in 2005 and was also Liverpool’s top scorer that season.
Gerrard was nominated for the Ballon d’Or and finished third behind runner up Frank Lampard by a very small margin and behind winner Ronaldinho by a huge margin.
