What if the Ballon d'Or had a one-time win rule? Discover the alternative winners list from 2008 to 2024.
It's the Ballon d'Or, one of the most coveted honors football can award. Traditionally given to the best performer every year, it would be interesting to imagine if players could hold it only once in their lives. By changing the prize every year, we see a little glimpse of how unpredictable and varied the list of winners might be.
Let's go back in the years and think about the Ballon d'Or had gone to other players if there was the "one-time win" rule in place.
Reimagining the Ballon d'Or Winners List
2008: Cristiano Ronaldo
This year was about Cristiano Ronaldo. He shone with his speed, finish, and leadership at Manchester United to win the Premier League and Champions League titles. It was his first Ballon d'Or, and in this situation, it would also be his last.
2009: Lionel Messi
His career exploded in Barcelona in the semifinal when lion came out and helped the side to sweep all the three trophies of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League. Nothing held him. Goals coming very fine so that they have been achieved by such a deserving nature. Now it is his time to pick Ballon d'Or, because there were rules where he would get it through one-win, and now that one-win was surely his.
2010-Andrés Iniesta
In a post-Messi and Ronaldo landscape, Andrés Iniesta would finally get his due in 2010. His role in the winning of the World Cup for Spain was nothing less than legendary as he scored the winning goal in the final. Iniesta's vision and technique were fan favorites, and he would have certainly earned the Ballon d'Or in this scenario.
2011: Xavi Hernández
Xavi was the brain of the Barcelona tiki-taka, a player showing outstanding passing and control skills. Although the Messi reign took away most of his focus, Xavi still had a long time before retirement, when he easily qualified as one of the best midfielders in the world. If one could receive only one Ballon d'Or award, 2011 would have been all for Xavi Hernández.
2012: Radamel Falcao
A goal machine for Atletico Madrid, the goal-scoring efficiency by Radamel Falcao led him to the "El Tigre" name. In 2012, spectacular hat-trick for UEFA Super Cup and wonderful league performance would have lifted him the Ballon d'Or award for this season.
2013: Franck Ribéry
Franck Ribéry shone with the brilliance of Bayern Munich: playmaker, idea of genius, and match winner. Bavarians' three successes during season 2013; thus, with DFB Pokal and Champions League at stakes, there could never have been anyone other than 2013.
2014: Manuel Neuer
By 2014, Manuel Neuer was just a new revolution that had altered the role of the modern goalkeepers. Sweeper keeper style has been the source of win for Germany on the way to the world cup victory and Bayern Munich to their league and cup double. The player would be the second in history under this rule, after Lev Yashin, to earn the Ballon d'Or as a goalkeeper.
A New Generation: From 2015
2015: Neymar
He electrified the pitch as he joined Barcelona's famed MSN trio, Messi, Suárez, Neymar. It helped win another Champions League title, and for the purposes of this reimagined list, he should be a deserving Ballon d'Or winner in 2015.
2016: Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann was excellent to watch for both Atlético Madrid and France. First of all, he won the golden boot at Euro 2016 and came in second in the Champions League. Griezmann had been consistent brilliance for long enough to take Ballon d'Or outright if not for a rival, his name Gianluigi Buffon.
2017: Gianluigi Buffon
Despite Messi and Ronaldo capturing the show, Gianluigi Buffon remained for his longevity and leadership quality. At age 39, his role of having led Juventus to the finals of the Champions League testifies to his greatness for making 2017 as his deserved year.
Luka Modric- 2018
Luka Modric would have taken the Ballon d'Or even in a one-win world. The man led Croatia to the final of the World Cup last year, and that fact together with his contribution to the winning of the Champions League by Real Madrid did it for him as far as the title of the world's best player is concerned.
The Contenders Now: 2019 and Beyond
2019: Virgil van Dijk
Giant defensive play and influence on the Liverpool Champions League win, Virgil van Dijk's aerial quality and calm defending will make him a strong favorite for 2019. He will break the model for a rare defender's win.
2020: Robert Lewandowski
Due to the pandemic, the Ballon d'Or was canceled in 2020, but Robert Lewandowski was widely regarded as the worthy winner. His incredible goal-scoring record and crucial role in Bayern's treble season made him the standout player of the year.
2021: Jorginho
In 2021, that person was Jorginho, who won the Champions League with Chelsea and the European Championship with Italy. His display of control and tactical foresight to make wide appreciation so obvious marked him out as an appropriate winner of the Ballon d'Or.
2022: Karim Benzema
This would mean that Karim Benzema would still take the Ballon d'Or home in 2022. His leadership just proved how much he has become important for Real Madrid from his wins in La Liga to Champions League, emphasizing him as one of the finest forwarders of his generations with his resurgence.
2023: Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland, in a short period at Manchester City, swept Europe by storm with strong, aggressive scoring. In such a scenario consistency in scoring and breaking countless records made him the obvious number for 2023.
2024: Rodri
The holding midfielder is one of the few best in the game; he has been very fundamental for Manchester City in these recent years, and for his composed gameplay, so much vision, and he contributed to City's treble season, making him a choice for the 2024 Ballon d'Or.
