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_Alternate Reality: Ballon d’Or Winners Without Messi and Ronaldo_
As the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner is announced, we explore an intriguing question: who would have claimed football’s highest individual honor if Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t exist?
_Pre-Messi/Ronaldo Era (2000-2007)_
– 2000: Zinedine Zidane
– 2001: Michael Owen
– 2002: Ronaldo (Brazilian)
– 2003: Pavel Nedved
– 2004: Andriy Shevchenko
– 2005: Ronaldinho
– 2006: Fabio Cannavaro
– 2007: Kaka
_Post-Messi/Ronaldo Era (2008-2023)_
– 2008: Fernando Torres
– 2009: Xavi Hernandez
– 2010: Andres Iniesta
– 2011: Neymar (would have won in 2015, not 2023)
– 2012: Didier Drogba
– 2013: Robert Lewandowski
– 2014: James Rodriguez
– 2015: Eden Hazard
– 2016: Antoine Griezmann
– 2017: Harry Kane
– 2018: Luka Modric
– 2019: Virgil van Dijk
– 2020: Robert Lewandowski (again)
– 2021: Kevin De Bruyne
– 2022: Erling Haaland
– 2023: Kylian Mbappe
_Notable Mentions_
– Thierry Henry
– Samuel Eto’o
– Yaya Toure
– Gareth Bale
– Zlatan Ibrahimovic
_Hypothetical 2024 Winner_
Without Messi and Ronaldo, Ademola Lookman or Bernardo Silva could have been strong contenders for the 2024 Ballon d’Or.
_What If?_
This thought experiment highlights the impressive talent pool beyond the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly.
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