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The Ballon d’Or is given by French news magazine France Football to the best footballer over the course of a calendar year.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the greatest players in the history of football. They have records, performances and individual awards to stake their claim as undisputed GOATS of the game.
Both players have won an incredible number of trophies, awards, medals, and honors that most players can only dream of achieving. They've won multiple league titles and cup trophies, consecutively and consistently, while featuring in sides that have played sumptuous football.
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It is truly a golden era of football for sporting enthusiasts to get to see such generational talents exercise their trade in their prime. Watching just one would have been fantastic, but enjoying both simultaneously has enabled fans to witness the beautiful game become even more beautiful.
The frightening volume and consistency that both players have maintained over the years has changed what it means to be an elite player.
The duo have had amazing exploits at club and country level and have dominated the Ballon d’Or race for over a decade. Despite some awards being debated, the pair have generally stood head and shoulder above the rest of the game. Case in point being the fact that they have won 12 out of the last 13 awards given.
It is, however, unfair to say that no player played at their level or deserved to win a Ballon d'Or. Here is a list of 5 current players who could have won a Ballon d’Or if Messi and Ronaldo didn’t duopolize the award for years:
#5 Antoine Griezmann | Ballon d’Or 2016
The prolific Frenchman may have fallen from grace after his sub-par stint at Camp Nou, but Antoine Griezmann was once the cream of the crop. In 2016, he came in third place in the Ballon d'Or rankings, finishing just behind Lionel Messi and eventual winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
Griezmann at the time admitted that it would be tough to disrupt the duo's hegemony, noting that Ronaldo and Messi had experienced brilliant seasons. Ronaldo snatched the Champions League trophy with Real Madrid and clinched the European Championship with Portugal at the Euros.
Griezmann didn't win any major trophies with Atletico Madrid or France that year, having been bested by Ronaldo in two key finals. His goalscoring exploits guided Los Colchoneros to the final of the Champions League and Les Bleus to the final of the Euros. However, it wouldn't be enough to win him the Ballon d'Or. It was a brilliant year for the former Barcelona star, but not good enough to break Ronaldo-Messi's dominance.
#4 Manuel Neuer | Ballon d’Or 2014
The year 2014 was a remarkable one for one of the best goalkeepers in the history of football. Manuel Neuer came third behind Messi and surprise winner Ronaldo.
In Ronaldo's defense, he outscored Messi that year and won the Champions League with Real Madrid as well. However, Neuer's claim to the prestigious award can hardly be ignored.
Having rejuventuated the concept of a sweeper keeper, Neuer took the world by storm in 2014, setting German football alight with his eccentric style of play. It worked wonders as he guided Bayern Munich to win the Bundesliga, while winning the World Cup with Germany.
It is widely believed that if Ronaldo and Messi hadn't had a record-breaking season - with Ronaldo scoring 51 goals - Neuer could have won the award. The Ballon d'Or is usually dominated by attacking players, but Neuer's presence for Bayern Munich and Germany in 2014 would've been rather difficult to ignore.
#3 Neymar | Ballon d'Or 2015
Neymar's flair, prowess and skill in the final third has made him one of the most prodigious attackers in world football and a potential Ballon d'Or winner.
His brilliance first came to the forefront while he was at Santos. It put the star in the sights of European giants. Barcelona eventually snatched him up from the Brazil outfit in 2013.
At Barcelona, alongside Messi and Luis Suarez, Neymar became a footballing superstar. However, the Brazilian international's 39 goals and 10 assists in the 2014-15 season weren't enough to hand him the prestigious award in 2015.
Neymar won five trophies with Barcelona, but so did Messi, and the Argentine's individual performances were almost inhumane. 58 goals and 31 assists in just 57 games came in handy for Lionel Messi in his bid to win the Ballon d'Or. Neymar could have been the best player in the world, if only Ronaldo and Messi weren't there to steal his shine.
#2 Virgil van Dijk | Ballon d'Or 2019
In a way, Liverpool's world-class defender Virgil Van Dijk managed to break into the Ronaldo-Messi hegemony at the Ballon d'Or in 2019. After an unprecedented year manning Liverpool's backline, Virgil van Dijk came second in the prestigious award's rankings, pushing Ronaldo into third.
Even more notable was how close the star was to snatching the coveted award from Messi's grasp. While the Argentine maestro won with 686 points, Van Dijk finished just seven points behind.
Many believe the towering Dutch centre-back was robbed blind of the award, especially as Lionel Messi struggled to garner trophies in 2019. Barcelona famously flunked out of the Champions League semi-finals after a four-goal comeback from Liverpool in the second leg. Argentina failed in the Copa America the same year, falling to Brazil in the semi-finals and only managing to finish third.
Van Dijk led Liverpool to a stunning Champions League trophy, also won the Club World Cup and was adjudged the UEFA Men's Player of the Year.
#1 Robert Lewandowski | Ballon d'Or 2021
There is little doubt that Robert Lewandowski would've won the coveted Ballon d'Or in 2020 if it hadn't been canceled due to the pandemic. Of course, we may never know how that would've turned out, but the Polish international put himself up for contention again last year.
In 2021, Lewandowski managed to score a stunning 64 goals, while winning the Bundesliga and Club World Cup. His trophy collection with Bayern Munich last season also included the UEFA Super Cup as well as the DFL Supercup.
It may not have been as close as Virgil van Dijk's seven-point gap with Lionel Messi, but Lewandowski still came in second, to the surprise of many fans. There was a general assumption that the Pole would snatch the award from Messi, but alas, it was not to be. While Messi picked up his 7th Ballon d'Or, Lewandowski had to be consoled with a Best Striker award.
