Since 2008, winning the Ballon d’Or without being Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi has been an incredibly difficult task. The two greatest players of all time have dominated the award for almost two decades, claiming a remarkable 13 golden balls between them.
As both Ronaldo and Messi have started to step away from the limelight, the race for the Ballon d’Or has become somewhat unpredictable in recent years, with three different winners over the past three editions – Karim Benzema, Messi and Rodri.
Amid Ronaldo and Messi’s unprecedented dominance, it is safe to say that many players in recent years have also deserved to lift the most prestigious accolade in world football, and former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry has named four stars he believed were worthy of winning – including a former Manchester United ace.
Thierry Henry: Varane and Hazard Deserved a Ballon d’Or
Raphael Varane Man Utd
Henry, quoted by Sky Sports in 2018, named Eden Hazard, Kylian Mbappe, Raphael Varane and Antoine Griezmann as players deserving of the Ballon d’Or that year:
“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.
“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.”
Out of the four players Henry mentioned, Griezmann came closest in 2018, finishing third behind Lionel Messi and winner Luka Modric.
Mbappe came fourth following a strong debut season at Paris Saint-Germain, while Varane and Hazard finished eighth and ninth respectively.
To date, Griezmann has the most top-three Ballon d’Or finishes out of the quartet, having reached the podium in both 2016 and 2018, finishing third on both occasions.
Mbappe’s only podium came in 2023, when he also finished third behind winner Messi and Erling Haaland, while Hazard and Varane never came close to winning the award before retiring, both recording their best placings in 2018.
In history, five French players have won the Ballon d’Or – Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema, who claimed the award in 2022.
Platini won the award three times in a row – in 1983, 1984 and 1985 – a feat that went unmatched for decades before Messi’s success.
The Argentinian icon broke Platini’s record by winning the Ballon d’Or four times between 2009 and 2012, and has the most Ballon d'Or wins (8) to date.