GOAL runs through every edition of the Golden Ball since 2000, outlining which players were most worthy winners – and who was robbed
Here we are, then, it's time to hand out another Ballon d'Or, the most prestigious individual honour in football, its importance only seeming to increase with each passing year. The epic Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry is obviously responsible for its rise to prominence, as an accolade that was once reserved solely for European footballers is now desperately sought by every player on the planet.
However, the Ballon d'Or has long generated as much controversy as it has excitement. Some critics have accused it of becoming a popularity contest, guilty of favouring star strikers over more deserving defenders. Voters also seem to regularly switch between rewarding the most consistent performers and those that stepped up in the biggest games and tournaments.
So, as we approach the end of the first 25 years of the new millennium, GOAL has taken a look back at every Ballon d'Or awarded in the 21st century so far to rank them in terms of brilliance. Disagreement is inevitable, so be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comment section…
Getty25Robert Lewandowski* (2020)
There's an asterisk beside Robert Lewandowski's name because he didn't actually receive an award – but he does warrant at least some recognition. The prolific Pole was the outstanding candidate for the 2020 Ballon d'Or, after scoring 55 goals in just 47 games as Bayern Munich won the treble. However, organisers surprisingly decided against naming a winner because of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"For the first time since 1956, the Ballon d’Or will take a break," editor-in-chief Pascal Ferre explained in a statement released by the magazine. "There will be no edition in 2020, because it turns out, after thoughtful consideration, that all the conditions are not met. We believe that such a singular year cannot – and should not – be treated as an ordinary one."
The merits of that decision were hotly disputed, given the overriding feeling was that Lewandowski would have been a very worthy winner. "You deserve your Ballon D’Or," Messi said in 2021. "Last year, everyone was in agreement to say that you were the big winner. I think France Football should give you your Ballon d'Or. You have to have it in your house."
At the time of writing, Lewandowski is still waiting for his award.
AdvertisementAFP24Cristiano Ronaldo (2013)
The 2013 Ballon d'Or is the most controversial in the award's history. There were all sorts of rumours and accusations surrounding the voting process, so let's deal only in facts here.
Lionel Messi had helped Barcelona to win La Liga with 60 goals in 50 games. Cristiano Ronaldo had hit 55 in 55 for Real Madrid but failed to get his hands on any silverware. When the voting was meant to close on November 15, Franck Ribery was the betting favourite, on account of the pivotal role he'd played in Bayern Munich's treble the previous season.
However, after the vote was extended for two weeks by FIFA for the first time ever due to a lack of "eligible voters", Ronaldo finished first, just ahead of Messi and Ribery. Then-UEFA president Michel Platini joked that the extension had been motivated by FIFA's desire "to please" Ronaldo, who scored a hat-trick during an epic World Cup play-off clash with Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Sweden during the additional fortnight. Unsurprisingly, though, Ribery didn't see the funny side and he remains incredibly bitter over the perceived snub.
"It was unfair," the former France winger told the in 2022. "It was an incredible season for me, and I should have won it. They extended the time for votes, and something strange happened. I felt that it was a political choice."
Getty Images Sport23Michael Owen (2001)
Rio Ferdinand recently pointed out that "primetime" Michael Owen doesn't get the respect he deserves, probably because of the way in which the former England forward was hindered by incessant injuries in his later years. But did he deserve to win the Ballon d'Or in 2001?
Plenty of people will still tell you that it should have gone to Raul, who was at the peak of his powers at the time, as underlined by his career-high haul of 32 goals in all competitions, which helped Real Madrid win La Liga and their homegrown striker claim the Pichichi.
Owen scored eight goals fewer for Liverpool across the 2000-01 season, with his hamstrings already becoming something of a problem, but he did generate an awful lot of headlines by famously turning an FA Cup final against Arsenal on its head with a dramatic late double before then hitting a hat-trick for England in their historic 5-1 win over Germany in Munich.
Owen was unquestionably a media darling at the time, the most exciting young attacker in world football, and his heroics in those two games probably won him the Ballon d'Or.
Getty22Andriy Shevchenko (2004)
As with the previous year, much of the debate around the 2004 ceremony centred around whether Thierry Henry had been once again robbed. The Frenchman had been forced to settle for second spot in 2003, but this time around he didn't even make the podium, with Henry finishing fourth despite starring for Arsenal's 'Invincibles' during their unprecedented undefeated Premier League title-winning campaign.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger was fuming, pointing out that Henry had registered more goals and assists than the victor, Andriy Shevchenko, during the 2003-04 season. Still, the Ukrainian had fired AC Milan to a first Serie A title in five years and, at the time, there was still an arguably justified belief that it was far more difficult to score goals in Italy than England.
Furthermore, Henry had been once again hurt by his failure to deliver a decisive display in the latter stages of the Champions League, while it didn't help either that France suffered a shock quarter-final loss to Greece at the Euros.
It's also worth remembering that Deco was also entitled to feel a little miffed, given he'd been the brains behind Porto's historic treble triumph and Portugal's run to the final of the European Championship on home soil.