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#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.
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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.
