5 players with the lowest transfer value to have won the Ballon d'Or since 2004
The Ballon d'Or ceremony is not far away now and the excitement for this year's winner is only increasing with time. There is no clear-cut winner in this race as the nominees have done really well to deserve a name on the shortlist.
It comes as no surprise that the Ballon d'Or nominees have high market values. While some have consistently had a good market value, others have seen a rise in recent times
Ballon d'Or winners have had varied transfer values over time
It is also true that over the years, the value of a footballer has been inflated due to the huge amount of finances involved. Especially in the last decade, there has been too much of a rise in the market value of a player.
The Ballon d'Or has been won by some of the greatest players in football history. It has so happened that their market values haven't been that high when they have won it. On that note' let's take a look at five Ballon d'Or winners since 2004 with the lowest market value at the time of winning the award.
Note: All values are as per Transfermarkt
#5 Ronaldinho (£54 million)
It was magical when Ronaldinho had the ball at his feet. He did things with a football that one can only dream of. The Brazilian played for a number of top European clubs and one of them was Barcelona.
With the Catalan club, Ronaldinho had a memorable spell of five years. Due to his mind-bogglinding dribbling and amazing creativity, the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was very difficult to stop.
In the 2004-05 season, he played an instrumental role in helping Barcelona win La Liga, the UEFA Champions League and the Spanish Super Cup.
Ronaldinho in 2005/06 😃
👕 45
⚽️ 26
🏆 Champions League
🏆 Liga
🥇 Ballon d'Or
#UCL #TBT https://t.co/koSV9JyCMA
His amazing performances in the 2004-05 season combined with the FIFA Confederations Cup victory with Brazil helped Ronaldinho win the 2005 Ballon d'Or award. At that moment, his market value was £54 million.
. #4 Cristiano Ronaldo (£54 million - 2008)
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon in 2003. The Portuguese superstar was then a young footballer with a lot of talent at his disposal but not quite developed.
Under the management and guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo developed into one of the best players in the world while at Manchester United. In the 2007-08 season, the Portuguese played a massive role in helping the Red Devils win both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo = last Premier League Ballon d'Or winner (2008) 🏆
#UCL https://t.co/st3VKhtOhP
That helped Cristiano Ronaldo win the Ballon d'Or in 2008. At that moment, his market value was £54 million, his lowest amongst all his Ballon d'Or wins in his career. Notably, he has added four more Ballon d'Or awards to his overall tally since then.