Ballon d'Or: Greatest XI to have never won the award

Defender: Philipp Lahm

Philipp Lahm

German legend Philipp Lahm spent his entire career at Bayern Munich, besides a short spell away on loan at Stuttgart.

During his time with the giants, he won eight Bundesliga titles and the Champions League title in the 2012/13 season.

Internationally, Lahm captained his country to a World Cup title in 2014, becoming the first man since Lothar Matthaus to captain Germany to a world title.

Unlike the previous players, he was incredibly underrated and was never considered one of the favourites for the Ballon d’Or.

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Midfielder: Xavi

Xavi

Xavier Hernández Creus, more popularly known as Xavi, is one of the best centre midfielders in modern football.

The Spaniard spent seventeen years in Barcelona's first team, winning eight La Liga winners medals, four Champions League titles, and numerous domestic trophies. He is also often seen as the embodiment of the tiki-taka style of play, heightened during Pep Guardiola's tenure over the Catalan giants.

Internationally, Xavi was part of Spain’s golden era, that won two European Championships, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Xavi was one of the players who came really close to the award, having been included in the top three in 2008, 2009 and 2010, only to be denied by Ronaldo and Messi.

The former Barcelona man currently plays for Qatari club Al Sadd SC.