12 footballers who could have won the Ballon d’Or if Messi and Ronaldo were never born

10. Robert Lewandowski

In 2015 Bayern Munich and Poland striker also came close to clenching the award as he came 4^th preceded by Neymar and the gods. The polish National team captain who is a feared goal scorer could not climb the podium but it is sure that if Messi and Ronaldo were not born he would have indeed been amongst the stars and maybe even become the ultimate champion.

11. Gareth Bale

Overshadowed by the reputation and ego of Ronaldo at the Bernabeu, Bale showed at Euro 2016 that he is a capable of being the talisman for a team. Not only did he come up with crucial contributions as Wales reached the semifinals, he was also a superb blue-collar team player. As it stands now, he is top 10 best players in the world and we are sure that if not for Ronaldo and Messi, he should have gotten a Ballon nod by now.