The Ballon d'Or has honored many of the most influential players of every generation since 1956, but even some all-time greats finished their careers without lifting the trophy. The official list of winners through 2025 confirms that Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Thierry Henry, Paolo Maldini, Gianluigi Buffon and Robert Lewandowski never won the award, despite reaching the podium or producing historic seasons.
Great Players Who Never Won the Ballon d'Or
Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Thierry Henry, Paolo Maldini, Gianluigi Buffon and Robert Lewandowski built extraordinary careers and became leading contenders for the award, but none of them ever managed to lift the Ballon d'Or.
Before looking at the great players who never won the Ballon d'Or, two names require some context: Pelé and Diego Maradona. For most of their careers, they were not eligible for the award because of its former rules. Until 1995, the Ballon d'Or was restricted to European players, which excluded both of them because of their nationality. They later received honorary recognition, but they are not part of the traditional competitive list of winners.
For that reason, the most direct comparison focuses on players who were eligible for the award but never managed to win it.
Xavi and Iniesta, symbols of an era
Xavi Hernández finished third in three consecutive editions: 2009, 2010 and 2011. During that period, he was a central figure for both Pep Guardiola's Barcelona and the Spain national team that won UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Andrés Iniesta came even closer. In 2010, he finished second behind Lionel Messi. That same year, he had scored the goal that gave Spain its first World Cup title in the final against the Netherlands. Despite his remarkable trophy collection with Barcelona and Spain, he never won the award.
Henry, Maldini and Buffon also came close
Thierry Henry finished second in 2003, behind Pavel Nedvěd. The Arsenal striker was a World Cup winner in 1998, a European champion in 2000 and one of the defining stars of the Premier League.
Paolo Maldini also reached the podium, finishing third in 1994 and again in 2003. The legendary AC Milan defender won the European Cup/Champions League five times and spent more than two decades competing at the highest level.
Gianluigi Buffon finished second in 2006, the year Italy won the World Cup. His international teammate Fabio Cannavaro won the award. Buffon came close to becoming only the second goalkeeper to win the Ballon d'Or after Lev Yashin.
Robert Lewandowski's unusual case
Robert Lewandowski occupies a particularly unusual place in this discussion. In the 2019-20 season, he won the treble with Bayern Munich and finished as the Champions League's top scorer with 15 goals, but the 2020 Ballon d'Or was not awarded.
One year later, the Polish striker broke the Bundesliga single-season scoring record with 41 goals and finished second in the 2021 Ballon d'Or behind Messi. His case remains one of the clearest examples of an extraordinary career without soccer's most prestigious individual award.
