Top 10 Ballon d'Or Winners

Today we're counting down the top 10 Ballon d'Or winners, so stick around for Dutch legends, a FIFA crook and a couple of guys called Ronaldo. 10. Kevin Keegan You probably know Kevin Keegan as a sub-par Newcastle manager, but in the 70s he was actually a mulleted footballing god, winning the Ballon d'Or in 1978 and 79. After great success with Liverpool, he moved to Hamburg, where he was a one-man entertainment machine, winning Hamburg their first Bundesliga title in 19 years. 9. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge Sounds like a Scrabble jackpot, but he was also the spearhead of a dominant Bayern Munich team in the early 1980s. He averaged more than a goal every two games over a career which also included spells with Inter Milan and Cervét in the Swiss first division. 8. Alfredo Di Stefano Not many of us saw Alfredo Di Stefano play, but when Pelé says he's the most complete footballer in the history of the game, you figure the guy must have been pretty good. In fact, Di Stefano won the Ballon d'Or twice in the 50s, placing second once, and scored 307 goals for Real Madrid in only 396 appearances. 7. One of the most talented players of all time, these days Brazilian striker Ronaldo looks more like a competitive eater than a footballer. Nevertheless, he came third in the Ballon d'Or in 1998, second in 1996, and won it twice in 1997 and 2002 when he scored eight goals in the World Cup and two in the final, to give Brazil their fifth title. 6. Not many players can claim to have reinvented a football position, but Franz Beckenbauer took the established role of sweeper and added an attacking element, dominating midfields across Europe throughout the 70s. The German helped Bayern Munich to both the Bundesliga title and the European Cup in three consecutive years, and he won the World Cup as a player and a manager. 5. Fifth on our list is Ajax and AC Milan legend Marco van Basten. The Dutchman was judged the best player in the world three times, and his goals took the Netherlands to their only major tournament victory in the 1988 European Championship. Van Basten's Milan team was so good that all three Ballon d'Or finalists in 1988 and 1989 were playing for the club. Another Dutchman is at four, the great Johan Cruyff. Inventor of the Cruyff turn, every Sunday League defender's worst nightmare, he won the award three times. Fans of Cruyff include Xavi and Pep Guardiola, while Ajax and Barcelona built academies on his methods as a player and a coach. 3. Football's favourite alleged thieving bastard, Michel Platini, was actually once a pretty great player. He took home the Golden Ball Trophy three times in the mid-80s. After retiring in 1987, Platini became a football administrator, rising to the presidency of UEFA before being shitcanned, along with Sepp Blatter, for receiving a dodgy payment of over £1m. 2. Cristiano Ronaldo A familiar face to Ballon d'Or judges as well as to lingerie models, Cristiano Ronaldo has picked up the prize on three occasions, coming second a further three times. The Portuguese forward's goal record is absolutely ridiculous, having scored more than 300 times for Real Madrid at a rate of more than one a game. He's been number one in the Ballon d'Or four times, and he's number one in our list too, it's Barcelona genius Lionel Messi. He's scored 91 goals in a calendar year, 50 in one La Liga campaign, and once scored in 21 consecutive league matches for Barcelona. And he's still only 28, so now he's finished breaking other people's records, he can start breaking his own. Now it's your turn guys, we want to know who you think is going to win this year's Ballon d'Or. Will it be Messi, Ronaldo or Neymar? Click on the video and leave a comment telling us why. Don't forget to like and subscribe. Catch you next time.