Izuchukwu OkosiThe Ballon D’Or started in 1956 as organised by France Football Magazine but the organization of the award was taken over by FIFA who had it between 2010 and 2015.
The ceremony to celebrate deserving players in a given season reverted back to being called the Ballon D’Or in 2016 until present.
As the word await who wins the next prize tonight (Monday, 30, October 2023), Prime Business Africa’s Izuchukwu Okosi presents three superstars who feel a sense of injustice not to have won the prize.
1. Robert Lewandowski
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski was unarguably the world’s best player in 2020 but the award was not held as FIFA decided against it due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Lewandowski scored 40 competitive goals in the 2020 calendar year alone – and in just 36 appearances. No player in Europe’s top leagues scored as many times as LewanGOALski including Lionel Messi himself.
In fact Messi admitted that Lewandowski deserved to win the award.
When it was indeed held in 2021, the Polish star missed out again – this time to Lionel Messi while at PSG ostensibly for winning the Copa America with Argentina for the first time since 1993.
There was talk of the organisers favouring Messi for reasons best known to them and sadly he may never win it as he gradually winds down on his illustrious career.
2. Andrés Iniesta
Andrés Iniesta was in the roster of Spain national team in four World Cups, where he played 14 games and scored twice.
Andreas Iniesta scored Spain’s 2010 World Cup winning goal in South Africa against the Netherlands.
Aside that goal, the dazzling midifeld genius wowed the world with his football.
His football and contributions to Barcelona and Spain in the year under review, according to neutrals was enough to hand him the plaque but Messi nicked it which was considered as a popularity contest.
3. Xavi Hernandez
Also in our list is another legend of Barcelona who is now the head coach, Xavi Hernandez.
The metronomic midfield star was also impressive in 2010 but also had a fair chance to win it in 2008 and 2012 when Spain won the European championship.
Messi won it in 2012 but it was Cristiano Ronaldo that perhaps rightly claimed it whilst at Manchester United in 2008.
4. Franck Ribery
The French scarface forward had a sizzling season in 2013 – with his goal at Wembley clinching a famous treble for Bayern Munich over Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern were so utterly dominant both domestically and in Europe, while there was no international tournaments that year.
Despite that, Ronaldo won the award with Messi beating Ribery into second and the Bayern player was not happy.
Ribery told German publication, Bild “I’m not stupid. It was clear that he had to win it. He wouldn’t have brought his entire family with him otherwise.”
5. Neymar
Before Luka Modric broke the Messi/Ronaldo duopoly in 2018, a Brazilian star was deemed as the one deserving to have won it: Neymar Jnr.
Neymar was in great form in 2015 and 2017 but he was only considered the best of the rest after the ‘untouchable two’ on both occasions.
One of the two awards at least should have gone to the syrlish Brazilian who is now injured for a long term and is currently a player of Al Hilal in the Saudi Arabian league where his game is not so seen by a wide audience.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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