Top 10 Ballon d'Or winners of all time

#5 Marco van Basten (1989)

Marco Van Basten was the best striker of his age

I’ve always said van Basten was the best player I ever played with because he only had a few years in which to show his talent. He won three Balon D’Or’s, yet was only 28 when he retired. Most players have a little more time than that.” —Demetrio Albertini

The 6ft 3in AC Milan centre-forward has his name etched in football folklore as one of the greatest ever to turn out on a football pitch. If it hadn't been for his shameful destiny, Marco Van Basten could have easily become the most decorated footballer at club level.

Even though injuries forced him to quit at 28, van Basten had won almost everything there was to win in the game. His elegance on the ball and ability to score from impossible angles earned him wide recognition and the pseudonym 'Swan of Utrecht'. Winning three Ballon d'Or awards in a career cut short by injuries is quite an achievement in itself.

The Flying Dutchman was a giant in 1989 when he won the Ballon d'Or for the second straight year, beating Franco Baresi and teammate Frank Rijkaard by accumulating 129 points. He scored 33 goals in 47 matches for AC Milan in the 1988-89 season. In a trophy-laden year, van Basten was the top scorer in Serie A and European Cup.

He also earned the title of UEFA Best Player of the Year in 1989, which subsequently led him to the Ballon d'Or. Albeit the Dutchman was poached by fate during his peak years, few would dispute that van Basten was an absolute legend of the beautiful game.