Ballon d'Or: 10 players who could have won if Messi and Ronaldo did not exist

#2 Andres Iniesta

Andres Iniesta has been absolutely vital for both Barcelona and Spain

Barcelona legend and midfield maestro Andres Iniesta is perhaps one of the few footballers who can genuinely claim to be as good and technically gifted as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The Barcelona legend has won numerous individual accolades in his career. Iniesta won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award in 2012, and was also chosen as the Best Player in the 2011-12 Champions League. However, he has always narrowly missed out on the game's top individual prize, the Ballon d'Or finishing 2nd in 2010 and 3rd in 2012.

One of the greatest midfielders to ever play the game, Iniesta arguably played as much a role in Barcelona's success as Messi. Supremely creative and technically perfect, the Spanish legend is coming to the end of his amazing career and it is a tragedy that the genius of Iniesta's career has not been crowned with a Ballon d'Or award.