November 6, 2024

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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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