10 deserving Ballon d'Or winners of the last decade if players were eligible to win only once

#7 Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus - 2017)

Juventus vs AS Monaco - UEFA Champions League Semi-Final: Second Leg

The Ballon d'Or has seldom seen goalkeepers win the award. In fact, Lev Yashin remains the only goalkeeper to have won the award. He did so in 1963 while playing for Dynamo Moscow.

The 2017 Ballon d'Or saw Cristiano Ronaldo win the award for the fifth time. There was no doubt about his credentials that year, given his fabulous performances for Real Madrid. He was so good that the Ballon d'Or rankings saw Lionel Messi finish second with a difference of more than 250 points.

Gianluigi Buffon also fared well for Juventus that year, helping them win Serie A and end up as runners-up in the UEFA Champions League. He eventually finished fourth in the 2017 Ballon d'Or rankings, behind Ronaldo and Messi.

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#6 Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid - 2016)

Club Atletico de Madrid vs Real Madrid CF - La Liga

Antoine Griezmann impressed during his first spell with Atletico Madrid. The French attacker's ability to play in different positions came in very handy for the Rojiblancos.

He was a key player for Atletico and the French national team in 2016. Griezmann played a key role in Euro 2016, where France ended up as the runner-up. Atletico Madrid did well in the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League, where they lost to Real Madrid in the final on penalties. Antoine Griezmann played an instrumental role in that campaign, scoring seven goals. But he did miss his penalty in the final.

The 2016 Ballon d'Or, though, clearly belonged to Cristiano Ronaldo, given his terrific performances for Real Madrid. Antoine Griezmann ended up third, with Lionel Messi finishing second.

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#5 Neymar (Barcelona - 2015)

FC Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano de Madrid - La Liga

Neymar was probably at his best when he was playing for Barcelona. The trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez wreaked havoc in attack for the Blaugrana.

With some world-class players around him, Neymar did amazingly well on the pitch. He was part of Barcelona's continental treble-winning squad in the 2015-16 season.

His superb performances earned him a third-place finish in the 2015 Ballon d'Or rankings, behind winner Lionel Messi and runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo.

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#4 Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich - 2014)

Barcelona vs FC Bayern Muenchen - UEFA Champions League Semi-Final: Second Leg

Manuel Neuer is arguably one of the best players of his generation, giving a new dimension to the sweeper-keeper role.

The Bayern Munich goalkeeper has been a consistent performer for the club since he joined them in 2011. He helped the Bavarian giants win the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal in the 2013-14 season. Manuel Neuer's role was also key in helping Germany win the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The German goalkeeper eventually finished third in the 2014 Ballon d'Or rankings, with Ronaldo and Messi ending ahead of him.