10 great players who never won the Ballon d’Or

#2 Paolo Maldini

Maldini led AC Milan to the Champions League title in 2007

When it comes to the Ballon d’Or, and almost any individual award for that matter, it is usually the attacking players that take all the plaudits. This is something that worked against Maldini, who was a quite brilliant defender over a long period of time, and is rightly remembered as one of the greatest defenders in football history.

Maldini almost revolutionised defending. He was a no-nonsense defender, strong in a tackle and good in the air, but he was an elegant defender as well. He was intelligent and took up good positions, whether he was playing at left-back or centre back. He also had the ability to play out from the back, and was an extremely gifted player technically, which was a relatively rare attribute among defenders at that time. He came in third place in the race for the Ballon d’Or in 2003, as Pavel Nedved won the prize.