5 Players 'Retrospectively Recognised' as Ballon d'Or Winners - Who Are They & Why?

In football, there is no greater individual prize than the Ballon d'Or. Some players even appear to be more keen on winning that award than even the biggest trophies.

England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, for example, once claimed he'd rather win the Ballon d'Or than the World Cup. Perhaps that explains why he isn't part of Thomas Tuchel's plans with the Three Lions this summer.

Lionel Messi has won the award more times than anyone else, lifting it eight times across his career. Cristiano Ronaldo ranks second, having been crowned the world's best player on five separate occasions. However, creators of the Ballon d'Or, France Football, published an internationalised reevaluation of the awards in 2016, in which they claimed that five players should have won the award but did not.

This is because up until 1995, only European players were eligible to win the award. They admitted that 12 out of the 39 Ballons d'Or presented during this time period would have been awarded to South American players.

Although they did not officially retract the award from the original recipients, they did 'retrospectively recognise' five new men as worthy winners – dubbing them as Le nouveau palmares (the new winners). As such, one football icon would have been given the prize on seven occasions, taking him above Ronaldo in the overall rankings

Pele - Seven 'Retrospective' Ballon d'Or Wins

For many, Pele is the best footballer of all time. Modern fans will claim Messi is better, and some may even argue for Ronaldo, while Maradona also belongs in the conversation. Regardless, the Brazilian legend – who won the World Cup on three occasions – is one of the all-time greats.

And so it's an obvious blip for France Football that they never recognised him as the best footballer on the planet. Had the award been extended to South American players soon, they admitted that Pele would have won it on seven different occasions.

Two of those wins, in 1958 and 1970, were when he helped lead his nation to World Cup glory. In those years, the prize instead went to France's Raymond Kopa and Germany's Gerd Muller. It's worth noting that Lev Yashin remains the only goalkeeper to have won the prize, but would have lost out to Pele in 1963.

Garrincha - One 'Retrospective' Ballon d'Or Win

Although Pele dominated that era, he wasn't the only legendary Brazilian figure of the time. It goes to show just how good Garrincha was that – in the eyes of France Football – he would have put an end to his brilliant teammates' Ballon d'Or dominance.

Indeed, Garrincha was 'retrospectively' named the best player on the planet in 1962, having shone at the World Cup, scoring in the quarters and the semis as Brazil were crowned world champions. He finished joint top scorer with four goals at the tournament, but the actual Ballon d'Or went to Josef Masopust, who had reached the final with Czechoslovakia, scoring in the 3-1 loss to Brazil.

Mario Kempes - One 'Retrospective' Ballon d'Or Win

After Pele/Muller won in 1970, it took eight years until France Football accepted that there should have been a different winner. This time, England's Kevin Keegan could perhaps count himself lucky as Mario Kempes likely would have claimed the Ballon d'Or ahead of him, had he been eligible.

The Argentine was astonishingly good at the 1978 World Cup, winning the competition, as well as the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball for being both the top scorer and the best player. Having shone on the biggest stage of all that year, few could argue with the belated call to suggest Kempes really was the best player in the world at that time. It's worth noting that he also won the Copa del Rey with Valencia that year and was the top scorer in Spanish football.

Diego Maradona - Two 'Retrospective' Ballon d'Or Wins

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It's no shock to see Diego Maradona's name pop up. If anything, it's a surprise that France Football decided that he should have won the award on only two occasions.

The first of those came in 1986 when he dragged Argentina to World Cup glory with one of the most iconic tournament displays ever seen. USSR striker Igor Belanov claimed the award in 1986 instead, having scored four times and claimed six assists at the World Cup.

The second came in 1990, after that spectacular season in which he delivered a Serie A title for Napoli. In that year, German legend Lothar Matthaus scooped the Ballon d'Or, having captained his nation to World Cup success.

Romario - One 'Retrospective' Ballon d'Or Win

With the Ballon d'Or opened up to non-European players from 1995 onwards, the final 'retrospective' award was given to Romario. Once again, his performances in a World Cup year played a key role in the decision.

The Brazilian was electric in 1994, as his nation won the tournament, while he took home the Golden Ball as the most valuable player. At the time, Romario was very much the best striker on the planet, and he still regards himself among the six greatest footballers of all time. Not everyone will agree there, but he certainly would have been a deserving Ballon d'Or recipient in 1994.