Players like Thierry Henry, Andres Iniesta, and Paolo Maldini have left an indelible mark on the football world with their incredible talent, but they never managed to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or award. This list consists of some of the greatest footballers who never managed to win the Ballon d’or, despite their remarkable careers. Thierry Henry, considered one of the best players to ever grace the sport, came close to winning the Ballon d’or in 2003, but lost out to Pavel Nedved, despite having better stats. Likewise, Andres Iniesta, a Barcelona legend, finished second in the 2010 Ballon d’Or rankings, despite scoring the winning goal for Spain in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final. Another notable player is Robert Lewandowski, who scored 55 goals for Bayern Munich in the 2019-20 season but was unlucky to miss out on the Ballon d’Or due to the cancellation of the 2020 ceremony. Luis Suarez, who set records for most goals in a single Premier League season, was also unable to secure the Ballon d’Or award. Finally, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Franck Ribery, both respected for their contributions to the sport, also never managed to win the highly coveted accolade.
