FOOTBALL’s most prestigious award will be given on October 30, and Lionel Messi is prepared to win the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time.
But there are four players who have been denied the title by the Argentine legend over the years including his arch-rival and a Liverpool star.
Superstar Messi, 36, has been tipped to win the Ballon d’Or at this year’s ceremony on Monday night.
But many fans think Premier League goalscoring machine Erling Haaland deserves this year’s glittering award.
Since the award ceremony began almost 70 years years ago – Messi has become the most decorated winner of the award.
Messi first won the award in 2009 then again in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021.
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And on each separate occasion, the former Barcelona star has beaten many of football’s greats.
This includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Andres Iniesta, Virgil van Dijk and Robert Lewandowski, who have all come second to the Inter Miami icon.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Runner-up in 2009/11/12/15
The Portuguese star has won the Ballon d’Or an impressive five times.
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But arch-rival Messi has snatched the title from the former Real Madrid star on four occasions.
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Ronaldo may not have a World Cup title unlike Messi but during his nine-year spell at Bernabeu from 2009-2018, he won four Champions Leagues, two La Liga titles and two Copa del Reys.
He is the Los Blancos’ all-time record goalscorer with 451 goals in 438 appearances.
Ronaldo has snubbed the Argentine for the prestigious title on five occasions in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Andres Iniesta – Runner-up in 2010
Iniesta was denied his chance to win the Ballon d’Or by his former Barcelona team-mate in 2010.
The midfielder was a key member of the victorious Spanish team in the 2010 World Cup.
He scored the winning goal in the final against the Netherlands for which he was crowned the Man of the Match.
And to top off his season he won the LaLiga and Champions League with the Catalan giants – but this was not enough to beat Messi.
Virgil van Dijk – Runner-up in 2019
The Liverpool star is another football great who was snubbed of the French award by football icon Messi.
In the 2018-19 season, the Dutch defender had a jammed-pack term in his first full campaign at Anfield.
He won the Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup – plus Van Dijk was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.
However, this was still not enough to secure the Ballon d’Or and the award ended up in the hands of the GOAT once again.
Robert Lewandowski – Runner-up in 2021
Regarded as one of the best strikers of all time – Lewandowski is the fourth star to have the Ballon d’Or snatched from him.
The former Bayern Munich star scored 344 goals in 375 appearances in his six-year spell at the Bundesliga giants.
He has won the Bundesliga Top Scorer Award in seven seasons for both Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.
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In the 2020-21 term, he scored 41 goals in a single campaign breaking Gerd Muller’s 50-year-old record.
But he finished second in the Ballon d’Or that year, just 33 points behind the seven-time winner Lionel Messi.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
