Football
Greatest Players to Never Win Ballon d'Or: Pelé, Maradona Ranked
The Ballon d'Or is by far the most prestigious trophy a footballer can win. It signifies that the player is truly the best of that year. However, not everyone was eligible to win it and could not benefit from this individual trophy. In its early decades, the award was open only to European players, excluding non-Europeans, no matter how brilliant they were. By the time the rules changed, some legends had already reached their peak or had retired. The result? A surprising list of the best players in football who have never won the Ballon d'Or. In this article, we will explore and analyze each one.
Diego Maradona of Argentina/Getty Images
SB Market Index: How We Evaluate These Uncrowned Legends
This evaluation combines a statistical analysis of their key career contributions (goals and assists) with expert and media perception to provide a comprehensive ranking.
Industry Insights
A curated analysis from top 10 football and sports media sources measures how prominently each of these non-winners is featured in discussions of the "greatest players of all time."
| Source \ Player | Pelé | Maradona | Neymar | Maldini | Iniesta |
| FourFourTwo | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| GiveMeSport | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Afrique Sports | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Talk2Soccer | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| SoccerPrime | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| AceFootball | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sport1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Globe Soccer Awards | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Guardian | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Reddit (community) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 9 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 9 |
SB Score
| Player | Career Apps | Goals | Assists | Goal Contributions (G+A) | SB Score |
| Pelé | 1,363 | 1,279 | N/A | 1,279 | 1.000 |
| Neymar | 605 | 364 | N/A | 364 | 0.285 |
| Maradona | 347 | 159 | N/A | 159 | 0.124 |
| Paolo Maldini | 901 | 33 | 43 | 76 | 0.059 |
| Andrés Iniesta | 885 | 93 | 161 | 254 | 0.199 |
This score is calculated based on each player's total career Goal Contributions (Goals + Assists, 100% weightage). The raw stats are used to calculate the final SB Score.
SB Market Index
| Rank | Player | SB Score | Industry Insights | SB Market Index |
| 1 | Pelé | 1.000 | 9 | 7.400 |
| 2 | Maradona | 0.124 | 9 | 7.225 |
| 3 | Andrés Iniesta | 0.199 | 9 | 7.240 |
| 4 | Paolo Maldini | 0.059 | 8 | 6.412 |
| 5 | Neymar | 0.285 | 2 | 1.657 |
The Kings Without a Crown: Pelé, Maradona, and Iniesta
At the top of our SB Market Index are three football titans: Pelé, Maradona and Andrés Iniesta, each representing a different era and style, but all united by the fact that none have ever won the Ballon d’Or.
Pelé’s statistical dominance is unparalleled. With a staggering 1,279 goals in 1,363 matches, his SB score surpasses any other name on this list. The Brazilian won three World Cups and became the global face of the sport. However, due to outdated eligibility rules, he was never in contention during his heyday.
Meanwhile, Maradona and Iniesta, while far behind in goal contributions, shine just as brightly in the eyes of experts. Both have achieved a perfect Industry Insights score of 9, reflecting the near-universal respect they command.
Maradona was a revered footballer, a legend in the 80s, while Iniesta was an extremely useful player for the tiki-taka era of Barcelona and Spain.
The Defensive Icon: Paolo Maldini
Paolo Maldini may not shine in a league table of goals and assists, but in the grand hierarchy of football, his name sits shoulder to shoulder with the greatest of all time. His near-perfect Industry Insights score of 8 shows the immense respect he commands from pundits, analysts and former players alike. Simply put, Maldini redefined what it means to be a defender.
With a career spanning over two decades, 901 appearances and countless battles against the best strikers on earth, Maldini was the absolute benchmark for perfect defending. His tactical intelligence, impeccable positioning and composure made him a nightmare for forwards.
The fact that his SB score is lower, due to his limited goal contributions, only highlights a deeper truth: not all greatness is measured in goals. Maldini was a pure defender, one who gave you enormous security. And let's not forget, he played his entire career at one club, AC Milan.
The Modern Contender: Neymar
Neymar's numbers say one thing, but his public perception of him says another. With 364 career goals in just over 600 games, his SB of 0.285 places him second only to Pelé in terms of productivity on this list. By modern standards, that's elite. Neymar has consistently scored goals and has had flair at the highest level, whether at Santos, Barcelona, PSG or with Brazil.
Yet despite his prolific record, his Industry Insights score is considerably lower at just 2, placing him fifth in our Market Index rankings. Injuries, controversies and a career that some believe has not reached its full potential have shaped how the Brazilian is perceived when it comes to the greatest footballers of all time.
Neymar's talent is undeniable, his numbers prove it, but when he is placed alongside names like Pelé, Maradona and Iniesta, things change, the context changes. Neymar has never been seen as a hard-working player, just as a talent, and that's it.
Conclusion on Greatness Beyond the Golden Ball
In the end, our SB Market index, heavily weighted by expert opinion, produces a fitting and fascinating result: a tie for the top spot between Pelé, Maradona and Andrés Iniesta. Each has followed a different path, one as the image of football, another as a misunderstood and charismatic genius and one as a driving force behind modern football, but they all arrive at the same destination: the status of a true legend, minus the Ballon d’Or.
Greatness is not always captured by a single trophy. Pelé and Maradona were excluded in their primes due to the selection criteria of only European players, while Iniesta’s brilliance was often overshadowed by statistically more brilliant teammates. And yet, they sit at the top of the football pantheon.
This list is a reminder that some of the sport’s most respected players never claimed the sport’s top individual awards, but they left behind many memories.
With a strong background in journalism and years of experience in sports commentary, Dragoș Șoneriu has written about every aspect of sport, from match reports and features to tactical analyses and investigative pieces. A lifelong Arsenal fan, he dreams of seeing his beloved team lift the Premier League trophy. Outside of work, Dragoș collects anything football-related, from stickers and mugs to vintage shirts and scarves.