Thierry Henry had zero doubts when naming four players who should've won the Ballon d'Or but never will

Thierry Henry named a quartet of players who would have been worthy Ballon d'Or winners but it appears as though none of the four will win the prize.

Despite being one of the greatest players of his generation, Henry did not get his hands on the Ballon d'Or - with his highest ever position coming in 2003 when he came second to Pavel Nedved.

The last Frenchman to claim the prize was Zinedine Zidane in 1998 but 20 years later and Henry stated that a compatriot ought to win after Les Bleus' second World Cup triumph.

Henry mentioned Raphael Varane and Antoine Griezmann as worthy winners, as well as "star" Kylian Mbappe after his contributions to the triumph achieved by Didier Deschamps' men.

But he also picked out Eden Hazard, who he worked with during his spell coaching at the Belgium national team.

"I think it would be a shame if a French player does not win the Ballon d'Or, apart from Eden Hazard because he was extraordinary at every World Cup match - defensively and on the counter-attack," Henry told Sky Sports.

"But logically, a French player should win. Why not Varane? He won the Champions League, he was very strong.

"There is the alien (extra-terrestrial) Kylian Mbappe, and also Antoine Griezmann. But I can also mention many players."

Griezmann finished on the podium after a stellar year, with Luka Modric ending the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominance after winning the Champions League and helping Croatia reaching the World Cup.

Rodri is the Ballon d'Or holder. Image: Getty

Both Varane and Hazard have both retired earlier than expected due to injury issues, while Griezmann is still very much a valuable player for Atletico Madrid but was not included in the 2025 Ballon d'Or shortlist.

Mbappe finished third behind Messi and Erling Haaland in 2023 and is still more than capable of a Ballon d'Or win after notching 44 goals in his debut season for Real Madrid.

However, there is the feeling that the 26-year-old may have missed his opportunity given the emergence of new stars like Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr and Desire Doue.