5 greatest players to never win the Ballon d'Or award

The Ballon d'Or is widely considered to be the greatest individual prize in football. It has been presented to some of the best players in the history of the sport. But like most things that run for a long period of time, it has been shrouded in a fair bit of controversy and has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism.

While some players have won the award multiple times, there are other great footballers who have never taken home the coveted prize despite proving to be worthy of it.

Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the greatest players to never win the Ballon d'Or.

#5. Ferenc Puskas

FIFA named an entire award after Ferenc Puskas but never thought it fit to honor him with his own Ballon d'Or. The Puskas award is given to the player who scores the most aesthetically pleasing goal of the season.

Puskas is a Real Madrid Madrid legend who finished second in the Ballon d'Or race in 1960 and only ever cracked the top three once despite all his talent and skill. However, that was mostly due to the fact that his Madrid teammate Alfredo Di Stefano was the one who often received the most attention and accolades.

He scored a whopping 514 goals in 530 games played across Hungary and Spain. Puskas was also a crucial member of the Olympic gold-winning Hungarian side in 1952. He has a tally of 84 goals in 85 appearances for the national team.

#4. Kenny Dalglish

The closest that Liverpool and Scotland legend Kenny Dalglish came to winning the Ballon d'Or was a second-placed finish in 1983. 'King Kenny' was one of the most important players in the dominant Liverpool side that dominated English football in the 1980s.

He was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year in 1983. Dalglish went on to become Liverpool's player manager in 1985 and led them to three English First Division title wins. He also won three European Cups during his time with Liverpool.

Dalglish also has four Scottish Division One titles in his silverware collection. He is the greatest Brit to never win the Ballon d'Or.

#3. Andres Iniesta

Netherlands v Spain: 2010 FIFA World Cup Final

Andres Iniesta is one of the greatest midfielders of all time. The nimble-footed Spanish legend was poetry in motion on a football pitch. He twisted, turned and jinked his way past defenders with the grace of a gazelle and enjoyed an illustrious career for both club and country.

Iniesta was arguably the best player in the Spanish side that dominated international football between 2008 and 2012. He won the 2010 FIFA World Cup, even scoring the winning goal in the final against the Netherlands and also fired Spain to glory at Euro 2008 and 2012.

Iniesta came close to winning the Ballon d'Or in 2010 but had to be content with a second-placed finish, losing out to his Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi.

#2. Paolo Maldini

Paolo Maldini is the closest thing we've seen to a perfect defender. The AC Milan icon is one of the best Italians to have ever pulled on a pair of cleats. He was a one-club player who spent 25 seasons at AC Milan, winning 25 trophies in total.

He won five European Cups/Champions League titles and seven Serie A titles. Maldini formed one of the greatest defensive partnerships of all time with Franco Baresi during his prime, with the duo famously shipping in just 21 goals in the 1992-93 Serie A season.

His greatness and consistency are evidenced by the fact that he won the Best Defender trophy at the UEFA Club Football Awards aged 39. Maldini continues to inspire youngsters all around the world.

The Italian legend could very well be the greatest defender to never get his hands around the Ballon d'Or. He finished third in the race for the Ballon d'Or in 2003.

Top 10 Ballon d'Or finishes by defenders since 2001:

🇧🇷 Roberto Carlos
🇮🇹 Paolo Maldini
🇵🇹 Ricardo Carvalho
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 John Terry
🇮🇹 Fabio Cannavaro
🇩🇪 Philipp Lahm
🇵🇹 Pepe
🇪🇸 Sergio Ramos
🇫🇷 Raphaël Varane
🇳🇱 Virgil van Dijk

Happy 27th birthday to the Frenchman with 18 trophies. https://t.co/sOQRGkxfwJ

#1. Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry is arguably the greatest striker in the history of the Premier League. He was a nightmare to defend against and wreaked havoc with the ball at his feet on a consistent basis.

He won the domestic treble, won the World Cup, the European Championship and was also part of the Arsenal 'Invincibles' side that went an entire league season without tasting defeat.

Henry was criminally snubbed for the 2003 Ballon d'Or, which eventually went to Pavel Nedved, even though Henry's accomplishments that year were simply on a different level. He finished in third place for the Ballon d'Or three years later in 2006 as well.

Pavel Nedved 2002/03:
🏟️ 47 Games
⚽ 14 Goals
🎯 3 Assists

Thierry Henry 2002/03:
🏟️ 55 Games
⚽ 32 Goals
🎯 28 Assists

These Ballon d'Or robberies started a long time ago! 💔 https://t.co/sQWzJEPL9Y