Ballon d’Or is the most coveted individual award in soccer. It’s the dream of every soccer player. France Football started the award in 1956 and was given to the player who had an exceptional calendar year. Recently, France Football has changed its format to performances in a season instead of a calendar year.

Many iconic players, like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, have received the honor. However, not all the best soccer stars, including Pele and Maradona, have won the award in their careers.

Even after being arguably the best soccer players of the last century, Diego Maradona and Pele never won such a coveted trophy. But do you know the reason behind them not winning Ballon d’Or was beyond their performances on the pitch? 

Why were Pele and Diego Maradona not awarded Ballon d’Or?

The Ballon d’Or award started in 1956, and Stanley Matthews became the first player to win the award. It was open to the players who were from Europe only. Thus, soccer players from other continents were ineligible for the award, including the soccer greats Maradona and Pele.

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Although another Argentine great, Alfredo di Stefano won the award twice in 1957 and 1959 and became the first soccer player to have multiple Ballon d’Or. To date, he remains the only soccer star to have won the Super Ballon d’Or in 1989 for his three-decade dominance. Di Stefano was eligible for the award thanks to his Spanish citizenship.

Pele and Maradona didn’t just miss out on the Ballon d’Or award that was opened to players from all nationalities playing in Europe in 1995, but also missed on the FIFA Best Player award started in 1991. The two legends missed out on the award for this reason. It was not in their hands. Let us know more about the Ballon d’Or award.

More on Ballon d’Or and the soccer legends who haven’t won the award

The award, since its inception in 1956, has seen many deserving winners. France Football opened it to soccer players from all nationalities playing in Europe in 1995. In 2010, they merged the award with the FIFA Best Player award started in 1991. Now, the award is known as FIFA Ballon d’Or. 

Lionel Messi (7) is the player to have won the most awards to date, followed by his long-term rival, Cristiano Ronaldo (5). There have been many controversies around the award, as it is based on the voting system. However, the current winner is Real Madrid’s star striker Karim Benzema based on his remarkable performance for Los Blancos in the previous season, winning UCL and Spanish La Liga. 

Here’s How Pele Has Seven Ballon d’Ors, Same as Lionel Messi, Despite Never Actually Winning One

The soccer legends to have missed out on the coveted award include AC Milan and Italian legend Paolo Maldini, Andres Iniesta, Raul Gonzalez, Thierry Henry, Ferenc Puskas, Dennis Bergkamp, Frank Rijkaard, Franco Baresi, Gianluigi Buffon, Oliver Kahn amongst others. 

Watch this story: Despite Being Only 5% as Rich as Michael Jordan Lionel Messi Once Spent More Money on a Car Than Mj Ever Earned in a Single Active NBA Season

Let us know your thoughts on the reason why Pele and Maradona didn’t win the Ballon d’Or award.