All-time Ballon d'Or XI

Attack

Forward - Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo shows off his Ballon d'Or collection

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most complete players of all time. A case can be made for the Portuguese being the best European player ever - and honestly, who can dispute that?

Barring a World Cup victory, Ronaldo has done it all - he is the all-time leading goalscorer for Real Madrid, he has won the Ballon d'Or a joint-record five times, he is a five-time winner of the Champions League, and he led his team to glory in the Euro 2016 tournament.

Perhaps the most hard-working athlete in the history of the sport, Ronaldo will go down as one of the best to ever kick a football.

Forward - Marco van Basten

Marco van Basten could have been the greatest ever if not for injuries

This was the toughest choice to make - either of Gerd Muller or Marco van Basten equally deserve a place on this list. However, due to the latter's 3 Ballon d'Or wins as compared to the former's singular victory, van Basten makes this list.

Scoring 300 goals in a high-profile career which saw him conquer the world, the Dutch international is one of the best strikers ever. Known for his close ball control, attacking intelligence, impeccable headers, and spectacular strikes and volleys, van Basten won the Ballon d'Or in 1988, 1989, and 1992.

The striker is also football's biggest what-if story - he played his last game at the age of 28 and was forced to retire due to injuries. At the time, he was entering his prime years as a striker, and who knew how the world of football would be today had Van Basten played 5 more years? We can only speculate.

Forward - Ronaldo Nazario

Ronaldo playing for Brazil

Ronaldo is the first South-American to win the Ballon d'Or after the rules changed in 1995. Popularly dubbed El Fenomeno (The Phenomenon), he is widely considered one of the greatest football players of all time.

At his peak, there was no one in world football who could stop this striker. By the age of 23, the forward had scored a ridiculous 200 goals for club and country and had already broken the world record transfer fee twice. Ronaldo was known for his dribbling, finishing, pace, and athleticism, which made him the most lethal forward in decades.

Barring Pele, perhaps no striker in the history of this game was dominant at Ronaldo in his prime. His story is yet another what-if - the striker was plagued by knee injuries throughout his career and never managed to stay healthy as consistently as the others on this list. Regardless, he is a World Cup winner who has won the Ballon d'Or twice (1997, and 2002).

There is no arguing about his place on this list.