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#7 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | 32.53% | 1980
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is arguably one of the most respected club officials in world football at the moment. However, long before the German took up this position, he was known as one of the most prolific forwards in the game. Rummenigge spent the majority of his career with the Bavarian giants, scoring over 200 goals in his ten years at the club.
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The 1979/80 campaign was one of Rummenigge's finest ever seasons. The German fired Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title and ended as the top scorer of the league with 26 goals. Additionally, the now-Bayern chairman was the talisman for the West German side that went on to win the UEFA Euros in 1980.
His heroics won him a host of honours, including the first of his two Ballon d'Or awards. Rummenigge received 122 votes and won the award over Bernd Schuster and Michel Platini. The German legend remains the last Bayern Munich player to win the Golden Ball.
#6 Lionel Messi | 32.84% | 2009
2009 is viewed by many as the year that kickstarted Leo Messi's era of dominance at the highest level of the game. The then-22-year-old Argentine was at the heart of Pep Guardiola's devastating Barcelona side as the fabled and feared false nine. Messi was not only mesmeric during the 2008/09, but was incredibly decisive with his performances.
He hit nine goals in the UCL, including strikes in the quarter-finals and the final. He also scored in the Copa del Rey final and famously ripped through Clasico rivals Real Madrid on their backyard during the Blaugrana's 6-2 drubbing of the Blancos.
There was little doubt surrounding Messi's credentials to win his maiden Ballon d'Or after he guided his boyhood side to the first of their two continental trebles. He won the award with 473 votes to his name, more than double the number Ronaldo received (233) in second place. Xavi (170) rounded off the podium.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo | 37.66% | 2014
Cristiano Ronaldo has had several stunning seasons in the Spanish capital, but the 2014 campaign could be argued as his most memorable campaign in terms of his incredible scoring rate. The Portuguese icon enjoyed a surreal UCL campaign with Real Madrid and guided them to the famous La Decima under former boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Ronaldo did, however, face criticism for his victory, as both Leo Messi and Manuel Neuer were strongly favoured in the build-up to the ceremony.
The Argentine and the German were pivotal in their national sides' runs to the FIFA World Cup final. Messi was also adjudged as the best player of the tournament and was one win away from sealing his name into the history books. In retrospect, Ronaldo drew criticism for his lack of contribution with Portugal in the World Cup, unlike both Neuer and Messi.
Nonetheless, Ronaldo's faithful would argue that his jaw-dropping 61 goals across all competitions for Madrid and Portugal — topped off by the incredible La Decima — warranted a Ballon d'Or win. The Juventus man also set the record for most UCL goals in a campaign (17 in 11 games), which remains intact to date.
#4 Lionel Messi | 41.33% | 2015
A year after Real Madrid lifted La Decima, Barcelona made history by becoming the first and, until recently, the only club to win two continental trebles. Messi was their talisman, and along with the likes of Neymar and Luis Suarez, the Argentine was at his majestic best. He ended the campaign with a jaw-dropping 52 goals and 26 assists in 61 games.
In LaLiga Santander alone, Messi scored 43 goals and assisted 18, topping the charts for both goals and assists. He also racked up 16 goals and assists in just 13 UCL games, and also recorded nine-goal contributions in six Copa del Rey matches.
The Barcelona legend scored what is simply one of the greatest goals in football history against Athletic Bilbao in the latter competition. Messi was joined by his rival Ronaldo and teammate Neymar on the podium and won the award by a resounding margin, as he was recognized for his contribution towards one of the most outstanding club campaigns ever recorded in European football.
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