7 Players Who Won Ballon d’Or Without Champions League After Salah Crashed Out of UCL
- Liverpool have been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League after losing to Paris Saint-Germain
- Fans believed the UCL exit has dented Mohamed Salah's chances of winning the 2025 Ballon d'Or
- Legit.ng looks at the list of players who recently won the Ballon d'Or without winning the UCL
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The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 has been completed, and the competition is now down to the final eight teams, including record winners Real Madrid.
Progress and elimination from that round have impacted the chances of some players winning the Ballon d'Or amid an impressive individual season.
Source: Getty Images
Mohamed Salah was seen as the forerunner to win the award until Liverpool were eliminated from the competition after losing on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain.
Barcelona star Raphinha and Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe are the favourites now after beating Benfica and Atletico Madrid to reach the quarterfinal.
Legit.ng looks at the last seven players who won the Golden Ball without winning the Champions League, as first called by Planet Football.
Ballon d'Or winners without UCL
Rodri
Current holder Rodri won the coveted award in a season in which he did not win the Champions League and was eliminated in the semi-final by Real Madrid. However, he won the Premier League and the European Championship with Spain. As noted by TNT Sports, he beat Vinicius Jr by 41 points.
Lionel Messi
Messi is the record winner of the Ballon d'Or, having picked up the coveted award eight times, most recently in 2023 as an Inter Miami player after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Five of his wins have come in years he did not win the Champions League — 2010, 2012, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Source: Getty Images
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo has celebrated Ballon d'Or victories five times, the last of which came in 2017. Four of his wins have come in years he won the UCL, including at Manchester United. His win in 2013 came when he did not even win any major silverware.
Fabio Cannavaro
Cannavaro was the first and last defender to win the Ballon d'Or, with only Virgil van Dijk coming close after. The Italian won the award off the back of an impressive World Cup campaign in 2006, despite not winning the UCL that year.
Ronaldinho
Brazilian legend Ronaldinho won the Ballon d'Or in 2005, edging Chelsea legend Frank Lampard in the year Liverpool won the Champions League. In 2006, when he won the UCL with Barcelona, he finished fourth in the Golden Ball rankings.
Andriy Shevchenko
AC Milan legend Shevchenko won the Ballon d'Or in 2004 without winning the UEFA Champions League, which was won by Jose Mourinho’s Porto, and the Euro 2004, which was won by Greece. He won the Serie A and UEFA Super Cup.
Pavel Nedved
One of the most controversial Ballon d'Or awards, Nedved picked up the award despite losing the Champions League final to AC Milan. He won it at the expense of Thierry Henry after winning the Italian Serie A title.
Updated Ballon d'Or rankings
Legit.ng analysed the updated 2025 Ballon d'Or rankings after the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 games were completed on Wednesday evening.
The outcome dented Mohamed Salah's chances of winning after Paris Saint-Germain eliminated Liverpool, while Raphinha and Mbappe got massive boosts.
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Proofreading by Jimmy Modise, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
Elijah Odetokun (Sports Editor) Elijah Odetokun is a Nigerian sports editor at Legit.ng. He has four years of working experience and holds a Bachelor of Agriculture from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, and a Diploma in Freelance and Sports Writing from the London School of Journalism. Email: elijah.odetokun@sportsbrief.com
Jimmy Modise (Sports Copy editor) Jimmy is an experienced copy editor who has for just under two years as junior copy editor at Sports Brief and is still engaged in the same profession now for Legit Media and other projects. He has a Diploma in Journalism and Media Studies, has worked briefly as radio producer, intern sportswriter and copywriter in his storied journey.
