Lewandowski, Xavi and more: The greatest XI not to have won the Ballon d'Or
The Ballon d'Or is one of football's oldest, most prestigious and renowned individual awards. Each calendar year, it is awarded to the best performing player across football competitions worldwide.
The prestigious award was first introduced in 1956 by the French Football Federation (FFF) for European players only. The late Sir Stanley Matthews of Blackpool FC was the first recipient of the award. The rules were amended in 1996, and players with other origins playing in Europe were deemed eligible, too. Since 2007, players worldwide have been eligible to receive the award irrespective of their league or nationality.
There have also been several players who have won the Ballon d'Or award in back-to-back years. They include the likes of Johan Cruyff (Barcelona), Kevin Keegan (Hamburger), Michel Platini (Juventus), Marco van Basten (AC Milan) and more recently, Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) and Lionel Messi (Barcelona).
However, there have been several other players whose accomplishments match those of the winners', if not better them. They were either surprisingly snubbed or were unfortunate that the eventual winner had an extraordinary statistical advantage.
On that note, here's a look at the greatest XI of players who have never won the Ballon d'Or award.
Note: This is a hypothetical list with some players deployed out of their regular positions.
Goalkeeper - Manuel Neuer (Germany)
Manuel Neuer is arguably the most different and most dominant goalkeeper of all time. One can safely credit him with normalising the 'sweeper-keeper' position in modern football.
It has now become the norm for goalkeepers to be adept with ball distribution using their feet. At the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Neuer completed more passes than a certain Lionel Messi.
It was a World Cup of mad stats. Manuel Neuer completed more passes than Lionel Messi. #BrazilNuts http://t.co/hg39XNLOM6
The German has played in the Bundesliga throughout his career. He came through the ranks at Schalke 04 before establishing himself as a world-class shot-stopper at Bayern Munich.
Neuer has won nine Bundesliga, five DFB Pokal, six DFL Supercup, two UEFA Champions League, two UEFA Super Cup and two FIFA Club World Cups with Bayern Munich. It makes him the most successful goalkeeper in the club's history. Neuer also won the FIFA World Cup with Germany in 2014, where he was awarded the tournament's Golden Glove.
Neuer's awards, honours and staggering stats give a clear indication of his sheer dominance in the last decade. In 2014 he was the first goalkeeper to finish in the top three of the Ballon d'Or race (third place) since the legendary Gianluigi Buffon finished runner-up in 2006. That makes Neuer a no-brainer to start as custodian of this hypothetical XI.
Defender - Sergio Ramos (Spain)
Sergio Ramos is arguably the most accomplished defender in football history, when it comes to winning trophies. He played for Sevilla and Real Madrid in La Liga before joining Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) this summer on a free transfer.
At Madrid, Ramos won five La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys, four Supercopa de Espana, three UEFA Super Cups, four FIFA Club World Cups and four UEFA Champions League trophies. Three of those Champions League trophies were won back-to-back between 2015-18.
Happy 33rd Birthday to Sergio Ramos! 🎊🎊🎊
His stats whilst at Real Madrid:
Matches: 604
Goals: 84
Assists: 39
Yellow cards: 202
Red cards: 25
A goal/assist/booking every two matches he's played for them! 😂 https://t.co/d0zRRPtxtx
Sergio Ramos has also won major international honours with Spain. He was instrumental in their solitary triumph in the FIFA World Cup in 2010. Ramos was also part of Spain teams that won back-to-back European Championships in 2008 and in 2012.
Moreover, Ramos has scored 129 goals for club and country - something unheard of for a central defender. He plays the game with passion and urgency, rarely seen from a defender. Due to his leadership skills, goalscoring ability and career record, Ramos picks himself in this hypothetical XI
Defender - Paolo Maldini (Italy)
There have been few players in history that have come close to matching Paolo Maldini's defensive and leadership abilities.
Such was his impact as captain for AC Milan and Italy for many years that he was nicknamed 'Il Capitano' (The Captain) by his teammates. He held the record for most Serie A appearances (647) till 2020, when he was overtaken by his former teammate Gianluigi Buffon.
One of football's greatest managers, Sir Alex Ferguson, paid tribute to Maldini, calling him the best.
Sir Alex Ferguson on Paolo Maldini:
"He's the best. Period."
It's Squawka Suggests. https://t.co/PKFAarfr3l
Maldini spent a stupendous 25 seasons at AC Milan, retiring in 2009. During that period, he won 25 trophies with the club. His trophy cabinet includes seven Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italiana, four UEFA Champions League titles, four UEFA Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup.
Paolo Maldini was the most accomplished defender in AC Milan and Italy's rich footballing history. His longevity and consistency at the top level makes him irreplaceable for any of his teams, and in our hypothetical list, too.