14 Greatest Players Who Have Never Won the Ballon d’Or

축구는 전 세계적으로 사랑받는 스포츠로, 많은 전설적인 선수들이 그라운드 위에서 빛나는 순간들을 만들어왔습니다. 하지만 그 중에서도 '발롱도르'라는 상을 받지 못한 선수들이 존재한다는 사실은 많은 팬들에게 아쉬움을 남깁니다. 이 글에서는 발롱도르를 수상하지 못한 위대한 선수들의 이야기를 통해 그들의 업적과 의미를 되새겨보려 합니다. 이제 구체적인 방법을 아래에서 확인해보도록 하겠습니다.

Ballon d’Or Non-Winners, Football Legends, Pelé, Maradona, Iniesta, Maldini

 

Pelé

A football icon with three World Cup victories and over 1,000 goals. Due to regulations that only allowed European players to win, he had no connection to the Ballon d’Or, but received an honorary Ballon d’Or in 2014.

Diego Maradona

1986 World Cup champion and a legend of Napoli. Like Pelé, he had no formal award history as non-European players were not eligible at the time.

Ferenc Puskás

A legendary goal scorer for Hungary and Real Madrid. Dominated European football in the 1950s and 60s, but his peak was before the Ballon d’Or was established, leaving him without a win.

Andrés Iniesta

Scorer of the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup, the midfield commander for Barcelona and the Spanish national team. He missed out on the Ballon d’Or overshadowed by the era of Messi and Ronaldo.

Xavi Hernández

The brain of Barcelona and Spain’s golden era. Nominated for the Ballon d’Or consecutively from 2009 to 2011, but failed to win.

Paolo Maldini

A defensive legend for AC Milan and Italy. His best finish was third place in 1994 and 2003. Despite longevity and trophies, he had no connection to the award.

Thierry Henry

A symbol of Arsenal and a key striker for the French national team. Despite finishing second in 2003 and winning the European Golden Shoe in 2004, he never won the Ballon d’Or.

Robert Lewandowski

The award ceremony was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, and in 2021 he lost out to Messi. He had a stellar season with 55 goals and a Champions League title at Bayern Munich, but luck was not on his side.

Zico

A legendary playmaker from Brazil. He had a long career in South America, which meant he had no connection to the Ballon d’Or during the time when only European players were eligible.

Francesco Totti

A one-club man with AS Roma, a Serie A champion, and a World Cup winner, yet he had no connection to the Ballon d’Or.

David Beckham

A key player in Manchester United’s treble, finishing second in 1999. A global icon, but he never achieved the Ballon d’Or.

Frank Rijkaard

A legendary midfielder for the Netherlands and AC Milan. Dominated Europe alongside Van Basten and Gullit, but had fewer individual accolades compared to his teammates.

Neymar

Brazil’s all-time top scorer, he has lifted numerous trophies with Barcelona and PSG, but he has no connection to the Ballon d’Or, overshadowed by the era of Messi and Ronaldo.

In addition, many legends such as Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo, Michael Laudrup, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribéry, Wayne Rooney, and Sergio Ramos have never lifted the Ballon d’Or. The reasons include the barriers of their eras, the limitations of regulations, or the dominance of the two superstars, Messi and Ronaldo.