5 most surprising Ballon d'Or candidates of all time

#5 Younis Mahmoud (2007)

This one is not a household name

Mahmoud is Egypt's most capped player ever and also holds the goal record for his country. Despite this, most football fans will never have heard of him due to the player spending his entire career in the Middle East. The 2007 Ballon d'Or voting placed the Egyptian as the 29th best player on the planet.

This meant he was rated higher than both Carlos Tevez and Samuel Eto'o on the list. It is clear that his nomination was due to Egypt's African Cup of Nations win the year before rather than his footballing ability.