5 most surprising Ballon d’Or candidates of all time

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The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious accolade that any professional footballer can be awarded. Winners over the last ten years have included Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho.

The Ballon d’Or does, however, have a reputation for odd nominations and most years provide us with at least one head-turning name. Here are five of the worst players to be nominated for football’s top individual prize.

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#1 Asamoah Gyan (2010)

After being nominated for the award in 2010, Gyan finished 18th in the voting. This was shocking considering that he was playing for Sunderland and the player was not exactly setting the Premier League on fire.

Unsurprisingly, Gyan failed to be nominated for the award again but soon went on to become one of the highest paid players in the world during his stint with Shanghai SIPG in China.

#2 Yoann Gourcuff (2009)

Once regarded as the next Zidane, Gourcuff seemed to peak in his early twenties. As a 23-year-old, the midfielder earned a generous place of 20th in the 2009 vote for the best player. Although this was hardly deserved, many expected him to keep developing into a world class player.

Unfortunately a long rumoured move to the Premier League never materialised and instead he struggled to continue his develop due to a series of injuries. Now aged 32, the Frenchman has only managed to make more than 20 appearances in one out of the last seven seasons.

#3 Nani (2011)

Remembered by many in Manchester as the team’s ‘other Portuguese winger’, Nani eventually carved out a decent career for himself. His nomination unsurprisingly came after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was already taking the top prize home. The tricky winger, who often had more skills than end product, placed 22nd in 2011.

This came during the most impressive year of his career as he recorded nearly 50 appearances for the Red Devils. His momentum soon faded however as he was dropped from the United first team and sent to his former club on loan.

#4 Antonios Nikopolidis (2004)

This Greek keeper largely owes his place on the list to Greece’s stunning Euro triumph in 2004. The Ballon d’Or voters deemed him to be worthy of the 24th spot at the 2004 awards which is shocking considering that Zinedine Zidane placed just one place higher after his own fantastic showing at the Euros.

No big clubs came calling for the keeper despite his International success and he quietly completed the remainder of his career in the Greek top flight.

#5 Younis Mahmoud (2007)

Mahmoud is Egypt’s most capped player ever and also holds the goal record for his country. Despite this, most football fans will never have heard of him due to the player spending his entire career in the Middle East. The 2007 Ballon d’Or voting placed the Egyptian as the 29th best player on the planet.

This meant he was rated higher than both Carlos Tevez and Samuel Eto’o on the list. It is clear that his nomination was due to Egypt’s African Cup of Nations win the year before rather than his footballing ability.