The Ballon d’Or is soccer’s most prestigious individual honor, with a nomination alone serving as a mark of a player’s standing among the game’s elite.
Since the award’s introduction in 1956, only a select group of players have won it multiple times, with Lionel Messi leading the way with a record eight victories. But winning the golden ball isn’t the only measure of greatness—consistently earning a place among the nominees is an achievement in its own right.
