Ballon d'Or: Four players who would've won the award in a world without Ronaldo and Messi

It is a fact well known that the Ballon d'Or has been dominated by two players for the last decade or so - Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Until 2018, the last player to have won the prestigious award beyond the talismanic duo was Kaka in 2007.

The duopoly held over football's most coveted individual prize was broken when Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric was presented with the award in December last year. The Croatian was voted the best player of the year in recognition of his contributions to Los Blancos' third consecutive Champions League triumph and his exploits during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Football fans know that a host of footballers were simply unlucky to have played in an era in which Ronaldo and Messi redefined the heights of the game. These players have enjoyed outstanding campaigns that, unfortunately, fell short in comparison to the other-worldly statistics of the two five-time Ballon d'Or winners.

In no particular order, we take a look at four such players who were denied the Ballon d'Or simply because they couldn't beat the outstanding efforts of Messi and Ronaldo:

Honourable mentions: Fernando Torres (2008), Wesley Sneijder (2010)

#4 Andrés Iniesta (2010)

FC Barcelona v Sampdoria: Joan Gamper Trophy

It's not very often that you see France Football apologising to a player for overlooking him for the Ballon d'Or. The unbelievable happened in 2018 when the reputed magazine apologised to Andres Iniesta for their infamous snub in 2010, which saw him lose the award to teammate Lionel Messi.

Despite a year of recovery from a thigh injury, Iniesta played a pivotal role in Barcelona's domestic success, pulling strings in the middle of the park alongside Xavi Hernandez and Sergio Busquets. The Catalan giants went on to win the 2009-10 La Liga title with a record of 99 points. The club also reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League before being defeated by Jose Mourinho's resilient Inter Milan side.

While his contributions to his club were commendable, it was his exploits with Spain that earned him a place on the Ballon d'Or podium. Following La Roja's defeat in the opening game of the 2010 World Cup, it was Iniesta who commanded the side to a string of wins, beating Portugal, Paraguay, and Germany as they made their way to the final.

The Barcelona legend was named the Man of the Match in the final against the Netherlands after scoring a sublime extra-time goal to help Spain lift the World Cup.

Iniesta finished second on the podium that year, ahead of Xavi and behind winner Messi.

#3 Manuel Neuer (2014)

Germany v Argentina: 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Final

Manuel Neuer finished in third place behind Messi and winner Ronaldo at the 2014 Ballon d'Or ceremony, despite having enjoyed a scintillating season both domestically and internationally.

The German shot-stopper was expected to be the first goalkeeper to win the prestigious award since Lev Yashin in 1963, but he was infamously snubbed in favour of the ever-motivated Ronaldo.

Neuer thrived under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich, putting in exemplary displays to help his side retain the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal, following a superb treble the year before. The defending champions won the league a month before the campaign's conclusion, with competitors such as Borussia Dortmund trailing far behind.

The German's stature and his ability to play the ball from the back revolutionised what people knew as goalkeeping. The FIFA World Cup saw him demonstrate these skills to the highest of his abilities, resulting in only six conceded goals throughout the tournament. The Bayern Munich shot-stopper unsurprisingly won the Golden Glove that year.

Neuer's 2014 Ballon d'Or snub resulted in several publications and football personalities condemning the decision as unjust, but the goalkeeper himself was at peace with the decision.

#2 Franck Ribéry (2013)

Bayern Muenchen v Chelsea - UEFA Super Cup

Franck Ribery may have beaten Messi and Ronaldo to the UEFA Player of the Year award, but he was ranked third behind the duo in the 2013 Ballon d'Or, despite having won the treble with Bayern Munich by the end of that season.

Ribery netted 10 goals and tallied 15 assists in a Bundesliga campaign that saw Bayern Munich lose only one game all season. The German giants won their 23rd league title by a margin of 25 points after netting a staggering 98 goals during the campaign.

The winger played a pivotal role in the club's Champions League success as well, demonstrated most notably by his performance in Bayern's 7-0 rout of Barcelona in the semi-finals of the competition. His exploits proved to be crucial as the Bundesliga champions went on to defeat their arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund in the final. The club then completed a spectacular treble by winning the DFB Pokal by beating Stuttgart.

After notching up 22 goals and 18 assists in all competitions and winning a treble with Bayern Munich, Ribery still fell short of eventual winner Ronaldo, who won no titles with Real Madrid, but netted 66 goals in 56 games.

#1 Xavi Hernandez (2009)

Barcelona v Club Atletico de Madrid - Spanish Super Cup

Xavi Hernandez finished in third place as teammate Messi won the Ballon d'Or, ahead of him and Ronaldo in 2009.

The diminutive midfielder netted 10 goals for the Catalan giants in the 2008-09 season and while the number seems low, he was responsible for another 30 of Barcelona's goals by acting as an immense creative force in the middle of the park.

The Blaugrana legend was at his peak under the mentorship of Guardiola, who helped the club to the first treble in Spanish football history by winning the Copa del Rey, La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

Xavi played a significant role in Guardiola's new brand of football, with the tactics mostly built upon the technical abilities of the midfielder.

His successes with Barcelona came at the back of European glory with Spain in 2008, where his exploits earned him the UEFA Player of the Tournament award.

It may be mentioned that the Spaniard was also close to winning football's most coveted prize in 2011, when he finished second in the UEFA Player of the Year rankings and third in the Ballon d'Or.