1st Stanley Matthews in the first year, 1956. In the 60s Law Charlton Best was last of that trio in 68? I think. Owen in 2001 and Ronaldo 2008. 68-2001 is a big gap and 1 win from 2001 - 2012 when the prem was meant to be so strong From 2001 - 2012 1st Michael Owen (English, Liverpool) 2nd Raul (Spanish, Real Madrid) 3rd Oliver Kahn (German, Bayern Munich) 2002 1st Ronaldo (Brazilian, Real Madrid) 2nd Roberto Carlos (Brazilian, Real Madrid) 3rd Oliver Kahn (German, Bayern Munich) 2003 1st Pavel Nedved (Czech, Juventus) 2nd Thierry Henry (French, Arsenal) 3rd Paolo Maldini (Italian, AC Milan) 2004 1st Andriy Shevchenko (Ukrainian, AC Milan) 2nd Deco (Portuguese, Barcelona) 3rd Ronaldinho (Brazilian, Barcelona) 2005 1st Ronaldinho (Brazilian, Barcelona) 2nd Frank Lampard (English, Chelsea) 3rd Steven Gerrard (English, Liverpool) 2006 1st Fabio Cannavaro (Italian, Real Madrid) 2nd Gianluigi Buffon (Italian, Juventus) 3rd Thierry Henry (French, Arsenal) 2007 1st Kaka (Brazilian, AC Milan) 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Manchester United) 3rd Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona) 2008 1st Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Manchester United) 2nd Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona) 3rd Fernando Torres (Spanish, Liverpool) 2009 1st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona) 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid) 3rd Xavi Hernandez (Spanish, Barcelona) FIFA Ballon d'Or 2010 1st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona) 2nd Andres Iniesta (Spanish, Barcelona) 3rd Xavi Hernandez (Spanish, Barcelona) 2011 1st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona) 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid) 3rd Xavi Hernandez (Spanish, Barcelona) 2012 1st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona) 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid) 3rd Andres Iniesta (Spanish, Barcelona) Nobody has ever dominated it like Messi. Not Ronaldo nor Zidane not Cruyff not van Basten nor Platini. The modern game is tactically superior in every way and he's got 4 in a row. For me the best player to play football ever, better than Pele Maradona and anyone else you'd like to throw into the pot, especially given his medical condition
From Thirty-six names listed: Twenty-one played for a Spanish side Eight for an English club Five for an Italian club Two for a German club I think that speaks volumes
who cares, how do you compare players that don't even play against the same opposition let alone each other or even in the same era. Messi is a great player in a great team, Is he the best player ever? you can say he is, you can say he isn't. I for one think Poulson I the best player to have ever played the game!
Pele and Maradona didn't have a chance to win the Ballon D'Or so that's not an entirely fair comparison. Pele would almost certainly have won a fair few for his international goals had it been around back then, ditto Maradona. Still not sure Messi is the best ever - certainly the best at his age, but needs to either keep his form up for a prolonged period of time like Pele, or perform just as well in relatively average teams like Maradona to definitely surpass those two. He almost certainly will surpass them both but, for the sake of argument, if he had a crisis of confidence / form like Torres and played relatively average for the rest of his career would be still be better than those two?
I'd put Maradona ahead because he did it at a few different clubs as well as on the international stage. Pele was before my time
The game has developed so much now that even modern, average players would outclass the supposed 'greats' of the 70s and 60s. Physically superior and better technically. Maybe not to the extent where Bebe would be picked ahead of Pele, but the likes of Maradona would be flattened by even Jones and Carrick would outbattle Didi in the centre. I don't buy into the greats of yester year, they were relatively great to their era, not to today. In the PL era though, I think it's criminal there's been so few representitives in the Ballon d'or, especially between 2001 and 2008 where there were some outstanding players.
To be honest the whole things a waste of time.. I mean when Igor Biscan and Djimi Traore don't appear in any of the top 3 then you know you can't take the results seriously.
The game is neither better nor worse than it was yesteryear it is merely different. The supposed technically superior 'greats' of today would find their skills sadly lacking in the games of days gone by. Just for a moment consider shooting and passing. In the 60s and 70s the ball was far heavier than it is now and the flicks and toepokes of today would not even work! Add to that the more competitive attitude towards tackling. It is simply impossible to make a direct comparison of greats from different eras.
Interestingly since changing the Ballon d'Or to the FIFA world player award, UEFA have a new European player of the year award which last year was won by Iniesta! Messi not the best afterall!!!
Even from 2001 though, look at the players. Owen won in 2001 somehow...he's not a scratch on Ronaldinho 2005 who was lauded as a genius, Ronaldinho is barely mentioned by 2007 when Kaka steps it up followed by Ronaldo and Messi and since then, they've gone from strength to strength. It's not possible to do a direct comparison, of course, but from watching footbally since the late 80's, I've seen players and thought; I'll never see better. And I always do. Every few years someone better comes along. We say we won't replace Gerrard, but we will. In 5 years time there'll be someone else who takes the Kop by storm and someone else after Messi who takes the world by storm. Maradona? Barely even remember him when I'm watching modern players. More skillful, faster and quicker thinking. Football has progressed and it's not down to a lighter ball.
Personally, I think these awards are complete An Shambles anyway. Take the recent (or any other for that matter) Ballon d'Or, I believe it is voted for by professionals around Europe. Do these players sit and watch all the games then? How are they able to make a judgement? Just like us, they probably only see odd games here and there, even if you sit and watch football from the moment you wake up to going to sleep you won't have seen half the games that happen in a regular week! Then there will be other players that simply are not interested in watching football considering it is what they do day in, day out. How do these players make a judgement? Do they go by the media reports? Do they listen to their friends, family and/or colleagues? These players are always going to vote for one of the favourites such as Messi, Iniesta or Ronaldo! I personally think it is far too open for criticism for these awards to ever mean anything.
There's lots and lots of hype surrounding players and the level of their skills. Whilst players may appear faster I doubt that there would be much difference over 100yards between today's speed merchants and say Peter Thompson or Steve Highway. Football has not progressed it has merely changed.
We might have a player that "takes the kop by storm" in 5 years but he won't replace Gerrard. No one will replace Gerrard. Trust me! We will probably have more succesful teams than the ones Gerrard has been in but we won't have a single player as influential and as inspirational as Gerrard.
The award was originally based on the opinions of French sports journos, the Liverpool teams of the late 70's and early 80's had plenty of success in Europe and at home and contained the likes of Hansen, Dalglish, Keegan, Souness etc and none of them were chosen(Keegan left LFC in the summer of 77 and the following season he won it with Hamburg who were ****e compared to us), the French were jealous back then no doubt. The modern format is much fairer.
I think the FIFA and UEFA voting is political. In fact, everything about both organisations is political and corrupt. How can a non-profit organisation such as FIFA be turning over billions of pounds - how much of this is reinvested back into football? We've all seen the corruption regarding bribes surrounding Bin Hamamm and Jack Warner.
The presidential election was a tragic comedy too. Qatar bought the world cup as merely a show to be put on for the mega rich. There is no good reasons to have a world cup there ffs, what's next, Qatar to host the Winter Olympics in July
