Top 10 Players To Have Never Won The Ballon D'or

jonjoward1998
Jul 8, 2025
6 min read

Many of the greatest names in the game have been lucky enough to win the ballon d'or including the likes of Messi, Ronado, Kaka, Cruyff, and Zidane.

But whilst many of the greats have won it, there have also been a number of players who have been unlucky not to win it and a lot of them were beaten to the award by either Messi and Ronaldo.

Those two players dominated the award for at least a decade and a lot of great players missed out on winning it because those two were performing at such a high standard for many years.

I've based the list on players from the modern era and most of them were beaten to the award by either or both of Messi and Ronaldo.

Here is the list:

Virgil Van Dijk

Franck Ribery

Manuel Neuer

Neymar

Xavi

Andres Iniesta

Thierry Henry

Robert Lewandowski

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Antoine Griezmann

Virgil Van Dijk

Van Dijk was pipped to the award by Messi in 2019 after a stellar year with Liverpool where he won the Champions League, the PFA Player of the Year award, and the UEFA Player of the Year award.

2019 was the year where he first became one of if not the best defender in the world because of how influential he was for Liverpool and the difference he made for them.

Messi was probably always going to win the award that year because he's Messi but had Van Dijk won it, he would've been the first defender to win the award since Fabio Cannavaro won it in 2006.

Manuel Neuer

Neuer finished 3rd behind both Ronaldo and Messi in 2014 and some say that he should've won the award that year.

He won the World Cup with Germany in that year where his incredible performances between the sticks played a key role in them winning the tournament

2014 was the year where he changed the role of a goalkeeper by being able to use his feet, and out of his boix to clear the ball away.

Had he won the award that year, he would've been the first keeper to win the award since Lev Yashin won it in 1963.

Franck Ribery

Ribery finished 3rd behind both Ronaldo and Messi in 2013 and a lot of people say that he should've won the award that year.

He won the treble with Bayern Munich which including the Champions League, and both his performances and contributions played a massive role in them achieving that.

He probably should've won the award that year because of what he achieved and how influential he was for Bayern. But award instead went to Ronaldo and understandably so as he scored more goals than any other player that year.

Antoine Griezmann

Griezmann finished 3rd behind both Ronaldo and Messi and 2016 before finishing 3rd again in 2018 behind Ronaldo and Modric, who was the winner of the award that year.

2018 was probably the year he had the best chance of winning the award as he won the World Cup with France and Europa League with Atletico Madrid.

2016 was arguably his best year performance wise as he won the golden boot and player of the tournament awards at the Euros with France, and played a starring role for Atletico Madrid as they reached the Champions League final.

But he ended the year empty handed as he lost the Euros final to Portugal and Champions League final to Atletico Madrid.

It was Ronaldo who won the Ballon D'or that year and probably deservedly so as he won both of those competitions.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan's highest finish in the Ballon D'or standings was 4th back in 2013 and he was nowhere near the top three before or after that year.

He won trophies at every club he played for and was one of the greatest strikers to player the game because of the incredible goals he could score.

But despite being the player and personality he was, he never got his hands on any of big the individual accolades including the Ballon d'or.

One reason why he didn't win it was probably because he never won the Champions League or any international tournament with Sweden.

The majority of players who have won the award won it because they won either as well as put in some incredible performances on the pitch throughout the entire year.

Neymar

Neymar finished 3rd twice behind both Messi and Ronaldo in 2015 and 2017 respectively, and had those two not been around he might've got his hands on the award.

I'm very sure he was talked about as a future Ballon D'or winner when he first emerged onto the scene because of the ability and potential he had back then.

He left Barcelona for PSG in 2017 to step out of Messi's shadow and to become the main man so he could improve his chances of winning the award.

But it didn't turn out that way as his career began to decline due to injuries and a certain Kylian Mbappe outshining him at PSG.

2015 was probably his best chance of winning the award as he won the treble at Barca in their first season with the famous MSN trio.

Thierry Henry

Henry is the only player on this list not to have been beaten to the award by either Messi and Ronaldo.

But he did come close to winning it twice in 2003, where he finished 2nd behind Pavel Nedved, and 2006, where he finished 3rd behind Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluigi Buffon.

He also finished 4th in 2004 behind Andriy Shevchenko, Deco and Ronaldinho and 2004 for me was the year he should've won it.

He had an incredible year for Arsenal in 2004 as he scored a staggering 30 goals as they went the entire Premier League season unbeaten.

He might not have won the Champions League or Euros like Deco did that year, but he still should've won it because of how influential he was for Arsenal throughout the entire year.

Robert Lewandowski

Lewandowski would've won the award in 2020 had the ceremony not been cancelled due to COVID as he was by far the best player in the world that year.

His goals that year played a massive role in Bayern winning the treble and for the ceremony to be called off was so unfortunate for him.

A lot of people felt he should've won it the following year in 2021 after another goal-laden year with Bayern. But he finished second behind Messi, who did in all fairness end his long wait for an international trophy by winning the Copa America with Argentina.

Andres Iniesta

Iniesta finished 2nd behind Messi in 2010 before finishing 3rd a couple of years later in 2012 behind both Messi and Ronaldo.

He arguably should've won it on both occasions as he played an integral role for Spain in their success at the World Cup in 2010 and Euro 2012, the latter of which he was named player of the tournament.

But Messi was always going to win it on both occasions because he was the main man at Barca, and the undisputed best player in the world at the time.

Xavi

Xavi finished 3rd for three years on the trot in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively. He finished behind both Messi and Ronaldo in 2009 and 2011, and behind Messi and his midfield partner Iniesta in 2010.

Out of those three years, 2010 was probably his best chance to win the award as he won the World Cup with Spain, during which he played a starring role as they went all the way.

He won the Champions League with Barca in the other years he went close, but Messi was always going to win the award on both occasions as he was the undisputed main man at Barca, and by a good distance the best player in the world.

It was a close call between Xavi and Iniesta for top spot as they were brilliant players for such a long time. But Xavi just edges it as he could see the whole pitch and was just a tiny bit more influential.

MY TOP 10: