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The Ballon d'Or is the greatest individual honor in football. Every year, the best players in the world are shortlisted for the award and compete fiercely to become the recipient of the Ballon d'Or.
Over the years, the Ballon d'Or winners have mainly been forwards due to their flair and the insurmountable admiration for them in the beautiful game. More often than not, players from every other department are overlooked in the race for the Ballon d'Or.
Several legends have won the Ballon d'Or in the 21st century
While midfielders like Pavel Nedved, Ronaldinho, Kaka and Luka Modric have won the Ballon d'Or in the 21st century, Fabio Cannavaro is the only defender to have been rewarded with the award during that time.
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Notably, the only goalkeeper to ever win the prestigious Ballon d'Or award was the iconic Lev Yashin back in 1963. As long as the role between the sticks continues to remain as a thankless job in football, there is little hope that future goalkeepers will buck the trend.
However, some of the greatest shot-stoppers in the history of the game have come close to winning the Ballon d'Or in the past. The following list ranks the greatest goalkeepers to have been named on the shortlist for the Ballon d'Or during the 21st century:
#5 Petr Cech
Current Chelsea technical and performance advisor Petr Cech enjoyed an illustrious playing career at Stamford Bridge. Since joining the Blues in 2004 from Rennes, the custodian established himself as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the world during his 11-year stint.
Notably, Cech was included on the shortlist for the Ballon d'Or twice in the 21st century. Both times he thoroughly earned his place after being the watchful guardian between the sticks for Chelsea's miserly defense under then manager Jose Mourinho.
Coincidentally, the Czech Republic international finished with seven points in both his appearances on the list in 2005 and 2007. Although he failed to appear on the Ballon d'Or shortlist again, Cech won every possible trophy in England and the Champions League with Chelsea.
He is also the goalkeeper with the highest number of clean sheets in Premier League history, with 202 shutouts to his name. That is 33 more than David James in second-place and 80 more than David De Gea, who is the closest active Premier League goalkeeper in 12th-place.
Without the shadow of a doubt, Cech has left behind a glorious legacy in the Premier League for future goalkeepers to try and emulate.
#4 Oliver Kahn
Oliver Kahn is certainly one of the most iconic goalkeepers to have graced the beautiful game. The German spent 14 years at Bayern Munich and was numero uno for both club and country for most of it.
It was during the early part of the 21st century that Khan emerged as a force in the race for the Ballon d'Or. Although he failed to win the award, the shot-stopper finished on the podium in 2001 and 2002.
Khan was perhaps best-equipped to win the Ballon d'Or in 2002, when he produced a memorable display in the Champions League final to help Bayern beat Valencia on penalties. The images of him consoling Valencia goalkeeper Santiago Canizares after that final still remain a vivid memory for many fans. It even helped Kahn win the UEFA Fair Play Award.
However, Brazil lifted the World Cup that summer and Khan was pipped to the Ballon d'Or by two of the world champions' greatest talents. Striker Ronaldo finished at the top, while defender Roberto Carlos was second on the podium, followed by Khan in third for the second straight year.
Khan never returned to the Ballon d'Or shortlist, but finished his club career with the most clean sheets (204) in the Bundesliga (now surpassed by Manuel Neuer). He also recorded the highest number of appearances for a goalkeeper in the German top-flight after taking to the field on 557 separate occasions.
#3 Iker Casillas
Another great goalkeeper who came close to winning the Ballon d'Or is none other than Iker Casillas. The Spaniard, who came up through the ranks at Real Madrid, went on to captain Los Blancos and the national team, establishing himself as a legend.
Casillas earned his first appearance on the Ballon d'Or shortlist back in 2007, when he finished 27th alongside Brazilian shot-stopper Rogerio Ceni. After captaining Spain through their golden era from 2008 to 2012, wherein he won the Euro Championship twice and the World Cup, Casillas made three more appearances on the shortlist.
The last of those three straight appearances from 2010 to 2012 proved to be his highest finish (sixth) in the race for the Ballon d'Or. After 16 glorious years at Real Madrid, Casillas left the club for Porto in 2015.
'San Iker' is now retired from the beautiful game but will never be forgotten for his glittering achievements with club and country.
#2 Manuel Neuer
Manuel Neuer has done exceedingly well in terms of carrying forward the legacy of Oliver Kahn at Bayern Munich and Germany. Over the course of the last decade, Neuer has also comfortably outgrown the stature of Kahn, becoming the greatest ever German goalkeeper.
The 35-year-old is still the first-choice option between the sticks for club and country. Notably, his best performances came in the early part of the last decade. In addition to winning nine straight Bundesliga titles after joining Bayern, Neuer also won the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup twice.
Neuer made five straight appearances on the Ballon d'Or shortlist from 2012 to 2016. It was in the wake of lifting the World Cup with Germany that Neuer achieved his highest finish in the race for the Ballon d'Or. The custodian made it to the podium in 2014, finishing third only behind Lionel Messi and winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
Although he has failed to make the cut since then, Neuer remains the only goalkeeper in the world to have shared the Ballon d'Or podium with Messi and Ronaldo.
#1 Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon needs no introduction to the footballing world. The Italian is currently in his 26th year as a senior professional and is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever goalkeepers of all time.
In addition to winning several trophies with club and country over the course of his career, Buffon has also left a mark in the race for the Ballon d'Or. The 43-year-old has been shortlisted for the award on nine separate occasions in the 21st century.
Buffon made his first appearance on the Ballon d'Or shortlist in 2001 and finished 28th. The custodian finished ninth in 2003, 17th in 2004 and 19th in 2005. However, fresh off guiding Italy to World Cup glory in 2006, Buffon earned his best ever finish in the race for the Ballon d'Or.
Notably, he came second behind Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro. In each of the next two seasons, Buffon finished in the top 20 before returning to the list again in 2012.
The shot-stopper then finished ninth in 2016, before just missing out on the Ballon d'Or podium the following year in fourth-place.
No goalkeeper has come closer than Buffon to emulating Lev Yashin by winning the Ballon d'Or so far. Although he missed out narrowly in 2006, the shot-stopper inspired several others to try and follow in his footsteps. Many would consider that a bigger award.
Now back at boyhood club Parma, Buffon is hoping for the ideal swansong for his remarkable career.
