Top 10 Ballon d'Or winners of all time

#9 Ronaldinho (2005)

The Brazilian is the architect of the Barcelona team we see today

He is the man that makes the difference between a team that plays well and another that is really memorable. He alone can decide one game. — Frank Rijkaard

In so many ways the legendary Brazilian trickster is the architect of the Barcelona team we see today. The Selecao grandmaster is one of those players who has won the most prestigious accolades in all categories.

Ronaldinho joined Barcelona and the next we know, a revolution followed. Real Madrid's stronghold slowly began crumbling as the Brazilian held the torch while guiding La Blaugrana to silverware and unprecedented success. In the process, he also mentored Lionel Messi who continues to be the world's best till date.

Destroying defences was all down to his style of play. Ronaldinho had a bag full of skills and tricks to choose from, which made him a nightmare for his opponents. The years 2004-05 and 2005-06 were his best seasons at the club when he scored a combined tally of 55 goals in 99 appearances for both club and country.

Ronaldinho won the Fifa World Player of the Year in 2005, defeating Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, scoring 225 points amongst 52 voters. The Ballon d'Or came in 2005. He also earned the title of European Footballer of the Year in the same year.

But, it was the Confederations Cup title which strengthened his domination in world football. The Brazilian captained his country and put in a man-of-the-match performance against rivals Argentina as Brazil won 4-1 in the final. Consequently, Ronaldinho also started his Champions League season which he would later go on to win in 2006.

No matter what people say, the mighty Brazilian's aura is unparalleled, which makes him a legend of a kind.