5 world-class players who retired without winning the Ballon d’Or

#3 Raúl

Real Madrid CF v Real Sporting de Gijon - La Liga

In addition to being a prolific goalscorer, Raúl was an excellent servant for boyhood club Real Madrid, whom he faithfully served for 16 glittering years. Ever willing to put the club before himself, it’s safe to say that Raúl was a rare bird in a world of glory hunters.

However, despite his incredible goalscoring exploits for Los Blancos, Raúl never won a Ballon d’Or – controversially losing out on the prize to future teammate Michael Owen in 2001.

Now Owen is rightly considered as one of the greatest English players ever, but Raul’s achievements over the past year– which included a Champions League, where he was the top scorer, La Liga and Super Cup win were seen as far superior to Owen’s.

In fact, the Englishman’s win was rumored to be a result of politics as no English player had won the prize since Kevin Keegan’s victory in 1979. A Ballon d’Or would have been a fitting tribute to Raúl’s genius, but his golden legacy will remain intact even without it.

---

#2 Diego Maradona

Diego Maradona

The late and great Diego Maradona will be remembered for many things. Especially for those two incidents against England in the 1986 World Cup – but most of all he’ll be remembered as one of the greatest players to ever grace the pitch.

Although he did play in Europe, most notably for Barcelona and Napoli – where he’s revered as a God – the Ballon d’Or’s rules with regard to nationality in his heyday meant he could never pick up the award he rightly deserved.

By the time rules were amended in 1995, Maradona was way, way past his best, robbing one of the game’s finest players of a prize he would have no doubt dominated if things had been different.

Nevertheless, Maradona gave us countless moments of genius on the pitch. It was a phenomenal performance throughout the 1986 World Cup, where he not only lifted the trophy as captain but also won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player as well as the Silver Shoe.

His legacy, immortalized by the FIFA Player of the Century award – which he shared with Pele, will live on.

---

#1 Pele

Pele

The debate about who’s the greatest footballer of all time will rage on for centuries, but what can’t be argued is Pele’s status as one of the all-time greats. The Brazilian’s phenomenal feat of three World Cup trophies and a ridiculous 643 goals for Santos is unlikely to be replicated by many, and possibly never will be.

Not to mention his sublime dribbling skills, his versatility on the frontline, visionary passing skills and adeptness with either foot – traits that make Pele a player for the ages. In fact, for many people who grew up from the 50s to the 70s, Pele – who is Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 77 goals – was football.

Sadly, the Ballon d’Or rules during Pele’s playing career meant that he was never eligible to win this prestigious trophy. There have been countless Ballon d’Or upsets in the decades gone by, but this is perhaps the saddest of all.

Pele – who never won an individual award from FIFA during his playing career – was bestowed with an honorary Ballon d’Or in 2013 – but it just didn’t feel the same.

Nevertheless, O Rei's impact on the beautiful game, a phrase which he coined, is indelible. The benchmarks he set will be looked up to by generations of footballers for a long, long time.