15 Players Most Likely to Win the Super Ballon d’Or [Ranked]

The Ballon d’Or is one of – if not the – greatest accolades a footballer can get their hands on. Invented in 1956, it was originally designed to celebrate the best player in Europe, before expanding in 1995 to include stars from any nation playing for a European club. Once a year, the award is handed out to the very best player over the previous 12 months at a special gala that welcomes the biggest names from all football past and present.

While it’s an incredible accolade to win, imagine how much of a privilege it would be to win an award that labels you the undisputed number one footballer of your generation. That is exactly what the Super Ballon d’Or did in 1989, as Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano was crowned the best player of the previous 30 years, ahead of Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini.

With the 40-year anniversary of this award around the corner in 2029, we’ve ranked the top 15 most likely candidates to win the once-in-a-lifetime prize for their performance over the last four decades.

15

Kylian Mbappe

Notable Clubs: Monaco, PSG, Real Madrid

REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

Although it might be a little surprising to see Kylian Mbappe’s name on this list ahead of some of his contemporaries, let’s not forget that the Frenchman has already won the World Cup with France, becoming only the second man after Geoff Hurst to score a hat-trick in the final, while then also becoming the second to scored in two consecutive finals, after Brazil’s Vava.

Those sorts of performances on the biggest stage will always play a big part in awards such as this. What’s more, Mbappe also has a few more years to finally get his hands on the Ballon d’Or, and looks more than capable of doing that in 2026. Add to that, his incredible goalscoring rate – first at Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain and now in Spain with Real Madrid – and it’s fair to say he will go down as one of the most iconic players of a generation.

14

Sergio Ramos

Notable Clubs: Sevilla, Real Madrid, PSG

Action Images / Carl Recine Livepic

Another World Cup winner, Sergio Ramos defined defending for an entire generation and will forever be remembered as one of the greatest centre-backs in football history. The Spanish leader helped Real Madrid win an unprecedented four Champions Leagues between 2014 and 2018, while also getting his hands on five La Liga titles and many other honours.

With over 140 career goals, Ramos is one of the highest-scoring defenders of all time, able to impact the game in both boxes. His full-blooded style may have led to a large number of red cards, but his passionate temperament served him well more often than not, having the personality to also help Spain win the World Cup and two European Championships.

13

Kaka

Notable Clubs: AC Milan, Real Madrid

REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

A Ballon d’Or winner, Champions League winner and a World Cup winner. What more do you want? In fact, Kaka is one of just 10 football legends to win that iconic trio of awards, making him more than worthy to at least enter the conversation here. The Brazilian won honours in his home nation, Italy and Spain, bringing joy to all his fans.

More than the trophies, though, Kaka was simply a remarkably fun player to watch. Able to combine the grace and skill of the most technical footballers with a notable amount of pure physicality, the attacking midfielder was a dominant force when in his prime. In any era of the game, he would have been a special player.

12

Karim Benzema

Notable Clubs: Lyon, Real Madrid

REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

For so long, Karim Benzema played an almost sacrificial role at Real Madrid, acting as the perfect foil for Cristiano Ronaldo’s brilliance. All the while he continued to score, assist and win honours in a steadily impressive sort of way, but the striker truly exploded into life when he was finally trusted to be the main man in Madrid.

Benzema​​​​​​’s best season came in 2021/22, as he scored 27 La Liga goals and 15 in the Champions League, winning and also finishing as top scorer in each competition. As a result, he was then crowned the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner. A true complete striker, over the course of his career, the Frenchman has shown he has it all.

11

Thierry Henry

Notable Clubs: Arsenal, Barcelona

Action Images / Andrew Budd

Thierry Henry is right up there among the very best to never get his hands on the Ballon d’Or, with many feeling he was robbed in 2003 when he finished second, behind Czech icon Pavel Nedved in the final rankings. The Frenchman may well be the greatest player to ever play in the Premier League, so it’s a little strange that he was never once officially named as the best player on the planet.

That said, it’s not as though he faced many disappointments in his career. Beyond going Invincible with Arsenal, he also won the Champions League and La Liga with Barcelona, and the World Cup and Euros with France. Even the very best defenders were terrified of him, with John Terry admitting he ‘hated playing’ Henry.

10

Xavi

Notable Clubs: Barcelona, Al-Sadd SC

REUTERS/Albert Gea

A legendary figure in the middle of the pitch, Xavi was one of the defining faces in a dominant era for Spanish football. Whether it was the national team winning three major tournaments on the bounce, or Barcelona becoming unstoppable under Pep Guardiola, the future manager of the club was on hand to run the show every single time.

Xavi’s 767 appearances for the Catalan outfit puts him second of all time, the same place he ranks for assists. At times, the 46-year-old may have been overshadowed by other personnel next to him. Those who truly understand the beautiful game understand exactly how immaculate this man’s artistry was.

9

Luka Modric

Notable Clubs: Dinamo Zagreb, Tottenham, Real Madrid, AC Milan

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Luka Modric can consider himself the greatest ever Croatian player. Given the superb players they’ve had over the years, that is quite an accolade. His longevity and desire to remain at the top are evident in his 800+ club appearances over the last 24 years.

The midfield master has won six European titles with Real Madrid, but it was his performances for Croatia at the 2018 World Cup – in which his side finished as runners-up – that ended the Messi-Ronaldo dominance of the Ballon d’Or, when he was crowned the world’s best footballer in the same year to become the first to do so outside of the aforementioned duopoly in a decade.

8

Gianluigi Buffon

Notable Clubs: Parma, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain

Reuters / Eddie Keogh Livepic

Between the sticks, very few come close to touching the immortal Gianluigi Buffon. If things were fair and goalkeepers stood a greater chance of winning individual awards, perhaps the Italian stallion would be breaking through the glass ceiling and conquering even higher ground.

In terms of trophies, Buffon collected almost every single one available to him. The big one that evaded his safe hands was, of course, the Champions League. He remains among the biggest names to never lift the famous trophy, but don’t let that distract from the fact that he set many groundbreaking records and is more than deserving of featuring alongside such esteemed company. Staying at the top in any position is hard, let alone in a role that requires such reflexes and anticipation, yet Buffon defied the odds to stay on top for three decades.

7

Andres Iniesta

Notable Clubs: Barcelona, Vissel Kobe, Emirates Club

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

Partnering Xavi in the engine room for most of the famed Guardiola era at Camp Nou was Andres Iniesta. Every honour that fell the way of his counterpart also belongs to the 41-year-old. However, he has one or two other laurels that land him a couple of spots higher.

Firstly, Iniesta was recognised as the best player in Europe in 2012, overcoming some strong opposition in the process. His most famous moment, though, came in 2010 as he scored the goal to win La Roja their very first World Cup. If his impact on Spanish football somehow wasn’t written in the history books without that 116th minute strike, then that goal ensured that the playmaker would be seen as one of the greatest Spain internationals in history.

6

Paolo Maldini

Notable Clubs: AC Milan

John Sibley / Action Images

When you look up the word longevity in the dictionary, you should get a picture of Paolo Maldini dominating Italian football. The legendary defender won an astonishing five European Cups and seven Serie A titles as he led AC Milan through multiple generations of talent.

A firm fan favourite and arguably the greatest player to have ever stepped foot in defence, Maldini is the second-most capped Italian outfield defender behind former Ballon d’Or winner Fabio Cannavaro. And while it’s never actually been put to the test, Maldini so perfectly embodies the idea that Italian defending is more like a form of art than a sport. It’s genuinely debatable whether he could walk into a major final with a glass of wine in hand and not spill a single drop, such was his class and composure.