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

#6 Steven Gerrard

Stevie G's exploits for the Reds has earmarked him as one of the legends of the game

If Zinedine Zidane and Pelé took the time to name Steven Gerrard the best player in the world back in 2009, it's sound assurance that this gent did more for the game than just don a shirt and cash in his paycheck. Not many would argue with me when I say that Gerrard is one of the greatest players to come out of England and grace the game in this century.

Having joined the Liverpool academy aged just five, Stevie G went on to dazzle and amaze in the red shirt over 17 long years at Merseyside. Along the way, he banged in 186 goals in over 700 appearances for the Reds. Possibly the most distinguished moment of his career was in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final, aptly named the Miracle of Istanbul.

At halftime, Liverpool found themselves trailing 3-0 to AC Milan with defeat staring them in the face; but backed by their spirited fans, they fought back with goals from Vladimír Šmicer, Xabi Alonso and of course, Gerrard himself. Liverpool eventually went on to win their fifth Champions League trophy, via a penalty shootout.

Gerrard featured in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year on no less than 8 occasions and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2017 amongst several others honours. Unfortunately, Gerrard never claimed the Ballon d'Or for himself, finishing third at the 2005 ceremony behind Frank Lampard and the winner Ronaldinho.