List of players who would've won the Ballon d'Or if Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo didn't exist

France Football have uploaded a graphic revealing who would've won the Ballon d'Or if Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo didn't exist.

Messi and Ronaldo have won a staggering 12 Ballon d'Or titles between them, with the Argentine boasting an impressive SEVEN awards, having won it in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021.

The Portuguese, on the other hand, has five Ballon d'Or awards to his name, winning the prestigious prize in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017.

They've held a stranglehold on the Ballon d'Or since 2008, with Luka Modric the only player to break up their dominance.

But who would've won the award if Messi and Ronaldo weren't around? Well, France Football have put together a list of the winners if the pair of football superstars didn't exist.

In 2008, Liverpool's Fernandes Torres would've won the award. Barcelona's Xavi and Andres Iniesta would've alternated for four years, winning two each from 2009 to 2012.

Bayern Munich pair Franck Ribery and Manuel Neuer would've won the Ballon d'Or in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

Neymar would've collected the individual prize in 2015 and 2017, while Antoine Griezmann would've got his hands on it in 2016.

Virgil van Dijk would've been the first defender since 2006 to win the Ballon d'Or in 2019.

And, finally, Robert Lewandowski, who missed out on a almost certain Ballon d'Or in 2020 due to Covid-19, would've won the prize in 2021.

Image credit: Getty

Check out the full list below:

2008 - Fernando Torres

2009 - Xavi

2010 - Andres Iniesta

2011 - Xavi

2012 - Andres Iniesta

2013 - Franck Ribery

2014 - Manuel Neuer

2015 - Neymar

2016 - Antoine Griezmann

2017 - Neymar

2019 - Virgil van Dijk

2021 - Robert Lewandowski

What's your take? Let us know.

Topics: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ballon d'Or, Inter Miami

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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