10 players who should've won the Ballon d'Or

#8 Gianluigi Buffon

Even at 40 years of age, Buffon remains one of the best keepers in the world

Age seems to hold no precedence over Gigi Buffon given the state of his playing career, now at 40, the legendary Italian continues to announce himself as among the world's best keepers, commandeering his goalpost with authority and skill.

A true gentleman on and off the pitch, Buffon began his career at Parma before switching for a then world record fee to Juventus where he remains to this day. It's not uncommon for football fans to mention Buffon's name in the same breath as 'Greatest Goalkeeper of all Time' and there's good evidence to suggest that may be true.

Having played over a 1000 professional games including 175 caps for Italy, Buffon is no stranger to trophies with eight Scudettos and a FIFA World Cup trophy under his belt amongst others.

On a personal note, Buffon's efforts haven't gone unnoticed; IFFHS conferred him with the award for the Best Goalkeeper of the last 25 years (1987-2012) along with the Best Goalkeeper of the Decade (2000-2010) as well as the Best Goalkeeper of the 21st Century, Buffon also claimed a Golden Foot award in 2016.

However, like every player on this list, he couldn't lift the Ballon d'Or even once in his illustrious career, coming close with a second place finish at the 2006 ceremony.