One would have always wondered why the football greats Pele and Diego Maradona never won the Ballon d’ Or. It is because Ballon d’ Or was considered a European football recognition award by a European Magazine till 1995 when they decided to widen the scope of the players worldwide.

And, since 1995 we had 5 non- European footballers as Ballon d’ Or winners 10 times. The five non-Europeans to get the coveted honor are:

1. Ronaldo - 1997 and 2002

Ronaldo was the first non -European to win Ballon d’ Or. He was awarded two times - in 1997 and in 2002.

In 1997, he was awarded the trophy ahead of Predrag Mijatović and Zinedine Zidane. Another fun fact was that in 1996 when Ronaldo was playing for Barcelona, he lost the chance to be the Ballon d’ Or winner by just one point. The eventual winner in 1996 was the Borussia Dortmund star Matthias Sammer who received 144 points ahead of Ronaldo at 143 points. That still remains as the most closely fought race for the Ballon d’ Or winner

But Ballon d’ Or did not elude Ronaldo for long. He received the award very next year while playing for Inter Milan in 1997 by a huge margin of votes. He came third in 1998 and later won the coveted trophy once again in 2002, this time while he was at Real Madrid, beating his countryman Roberto Carlos and the legendary goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.

2. Rivaldo -1999

Closely on the heels of Ronaldo, winning the Ballon d’ Or in1997, Rivaldo won the trophy in 1999 while his stint at Barcelona. He beat David Beckham (this was the only time Beckham came into the Top 3 of Ballon d’ Or ever) and AC Milan legend Andriy Shevchenko to take the trophy from France to Brazil.

Renowned for his ability to create and score goals, Rivaldo did not get into the top three of Ballon d’Or any other time. But in 2017 Rivaldo had famously commented that:

“I only won the Ballon d’Or once but I think if I was still playing today, I would have won it more than once.”

Apart from the Ballon d’Or trophy in 1999, Rivaldo was also awarded the FIFA World player of the year trophy in the same year. He was highly regarded for his terrific left foot play and the impeccable technique that came with it.

3. Ronaldinho -2005

The Barcelona Legend was able to reach the Ballon d’Or top three spots in 2004 but ended up being third best behind Andriy Shevchenko and his Barcelona team-mate Deco. But, Ronaldinho had everything to cheer for very next year when he strolled past the England duo of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard to take home the trophy.

He had also won the FIFA player of the year award two times and was only the second Barcelona player, after Diego Maradona to receive a standing ovation from Real Madrid fans after playing an El Clasico match where he scored twice against Real Madrid.

Ronaldinho was also a wide exponent of - “Life is short, so enjoy it while you can"philosophy. One of the best exponents of the “Elastico” Move, his dribbling skills and the sheer energy and pace was a beautiful sight to watch.

.# 4. Kaka -2007

Kaka was an AC Milan playmaker in 2007 as he won the UEFA Champions League for them and was awarded multiple trophies in the same year. FIFA World Player of the Year, the Ballon d’Or, the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and the IFFHS World’s Best Playmaker award were some of the trophies he won in the year 2007.

It is a fun fact that Kaka was the last Ballon d’Or winner in 2007 before the Cristiano Ronaldo - Lionel Messi era began in 2008. Another fun fact remains that in the year 2007, Kaka had pipped Ronaldo and Messi to win the Ballon d’Or with 444 points. Cristiano Ronaldo came second that year and Messi ended up being third.

Kaká was accurately described by FIFA website as a player who had the capability to glide past any opponent effortlessly and provide defense- splitting passes all the time while scoring consistently from distance.

5. Lionel Messi -2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015

The legendary footballer who has won the Ballon d’Or most number of times (joint). Apart from winning the trophy 5 times, he had ended being the second -best 5 times and third best one time. The fun fact here is that from the year 2007, Messi has always come up into the top 3 of Ballon d’Or every single year and he is even expected to come into the top 3 once again in 2018.

Lionel Messi, considered by many as an all-time great, has not just been the most successful non- European footballer to win the Ballon d’Or, but he has been the most successful footballer ever to win the Ballon d’Or.

Note:

Whether Lionel Messi can win the Ballon d’Or 2018 is something that the whole world awaits. If you are a Messi fan or loves football analysis, then have a look at the piece wheres the author ha tried to forecast the Ballon d’Or 2018 voting results.

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