Fan calculates 'Super Ballon d'Or' rankings based on performance from 1990 to 2022
A fan has created 'Super Ballon d'Or' rankings for the last 32 years and of course there was controversy in regards to the list.
The rare award has only been given out to one player in history, having been received by the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano back in 1989.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the France Football magazine, the outlet announced the Super Ballon d'Or, which only European players were eligible to win.
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Real icon Di Stefano qualified through his Spanish citizenship and pipped Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini to the gong.
A good chunk of fans think the special prize should be brought back to celebrate the achievements of the best player in the current era.
And over on Reddit, user @mkx696969x has calculated how a list might look. It's been based purely off Ballon d'Or performance since 1990 and given Lionel Messi has won the award a record seven times, it's no surprise to see him at the very top.
But the overall rankings do conjure up a number of surprises for fans to debate over.
Here is the list in full:
- Lionel Messi
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Ronaldo Nazario
- Zinedine Zidane
- Andriy Shevchenko
- Roberto Baggio & Lothar Matthäus
- Hristo Stoichkov
- Robert Lewandowski
- Ronaldinho
- Rivaldo
- Kaka
- Luis Figo & Luka Modric
- Thierry Henry
- Andres Iniesta & Matthias Sammer
- Karim Benzema & Michael Owen
- Pavel Nedved
- Marco van Basten, Jean-Pierre Papin , George Weah , Fabio Cannavaro & Xavi Hernandez
- Dennis Bergkamp
- Neymar
- Raul
- Paolo Maldini.
- Jurgen Klinsmann, David Beckham & Gianluigi Buffon.
- Roberto Carlos
- Sadio Mane
- Davor Suker & Dejan Savićevic
- Darko Pančev, Salvatore Schillaci, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Deco, Predrag Mijatović, Oliver Kahn, Frank Lampard , Antoine Griezmann & Virgil van Dijk
- Didier Drogba & Kylian Mbappe
- Steven Gerrard, Kevin De Bruyne & Mo Salah
- Iker Casillas, Andrea Pirlo & Samuel Eto’o
- Luis Suarez, Jari Litmanen , Eric Cantona , Alessandro Del Piero & Gabriel Batistuta
The rankings have been decided going off where players have placed in the Ballon d'Or votes over the years but typically there was plenty of reaction.
One fan replied: "R9 being 3rd shows just how much better he would have been than everyone else without the injuries."
Another commented: "From a quick glimpse, Suarez at #30 is probably the most controversial for me."
A third opined: "Shevchenko was a monster one of the greatest 9's ever seen. Ronaldinho top 10 despite everyone saying his prime lasted 2 years."
A fourth commented: "Mane has no business being on this list, Beckham next to Buffon what a joke."
What do you make of the list? Should Lionel Messi be awarded a Super Ballon d'Or for his achievements?
Sound off in the comments.
Topics: Lionel Messi, Ballon d'Or, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Football
Josh Lawless