Football history is filled with players whose goals, trophies and unforgettable performances have earned them a place among the game’s greats. Yet even the most decorated stars have sometimes fallen short of one of football’s most coveted individual honours, the Ballon d’Or.
Mohamed Salah, Didier Drogba, Gareth Bale, Luis Suárez, Arjen Robben and Francesco Totti are among the celebrated players who never finished in the top three of the men’s Ballon d’Or rankings. Some came within a single position of the podium, while others built extraordinary careers without receiving that level of recognition.
Their stories also demonstrate why the award’s final standings cannot, on their own, define a player’s legacy.
Salah has established himself as one of the most influential forwards of the modern era. Since joining Liverpool in 2017, the Egyptian has combined prolific goalscoring with consistency, helping the club win major domestic and European honours.
His Ballon d’Or results have reflected his standing among the world’s elite attackers. He finished fifth in 2019 after Liverpool won the Champions League, repeated that position in 2022 and improved to fourth in 2025. The last result followed an outstanding 2024/25 campaign in which he scored 29 Premier League goals and provided 18 assists as Liverpool won the league title.
Despite those achievements, Salah has yet to break into the award’s top three. His fourth-place finish in 2025 brought him closer than ever, but the Egyptian remains outside the podium.
Drogba experienced a similar disappointment during his distinguished career with Chelsea. The Ivorian striker became a central figure in the club’s rise to prominence, combining strength, aerial ability and an exceptional record in decisive matches.
His defining moment came in the 2012 Champions League final against Bayern Munich. Drogba scored Chelsea’s late equaliser before converting the winning penalty in the shootout, helping the London club claim the European title for the first time.
However, his best Ballon d’Or finish came five years earlier, when he placed fourth in 2007 behind Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He finished eighth in 2012, the year of Chelsea’s Champions League triumph. For a forward whose performances regularly shaped major occasions, the absence of a top-three finish remains a notable detail in his individual honours record.
Bale also fell short of the podium despite a career packed with memorable moments. The Welsh forward starred for Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid, where his pace, athleticism and ability to deliver in high-pressure matches made him a formidable opponent.
His overhead kick against Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final remains one of the competition’s most memorable goals. Bale also played an important role in Wales reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2016, one of the nation’s greatest achievements in international football.
Yet his highest Ballon d’Or position was sixth in 2016, the year Cristiano Ronaldo won the award. Bale never finished among the top three, despite his success with Real Madrid and influence on the international stage.
Suárez came even closer. The Uruguayan forward was renowned for his sharp finishing, creativity and ability to manufacture chances in difficult situations. He enjoyed productive spells at Liverpool, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, winning major honours in England and Spain.
His 2013/14 season at Liverpool was exceptional. Suárez scored 31 Premier League goals, sharing the European Golden Shoe with Ronaldo, although Liverpool narrowly missed out on the league title. At Barcelona, he formed a formidable attacking partnership with Messi and Neymar, helping the club win the Champions League in 2015.
Suárez’s highest Ballon d’Or finish was fourth in 2016, behind Ronaldo, Messi and Antoine Griezmann. His ranking placed him just outside the top three, despite his reputation as one of the world’s leading strikers.
Robben also came within one place of the podium. The Dutch winger was celebrated for his direct running, close control and trademark movement inside from the right flank. At Bayern Munich, he won multiple domestic titles and helped deliver the club’s 2013 Champions League triumph, scoring the decisive goal against Borussia Dortmund in the final.
Robben finished fourth in the 2014 Ballon d’Or voting after helping the Netherlands reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in Brazil. He never improved on that position, although his performances for club and country secured his reputation as one of his generation’s outstanding wide attackers.
Totti’s story was different. The Roma legend spent almost his entire senior club career with the Italian side, becoming a symbol of loyalty and technical excellence. He helped Roma win the Serie A title in 2001 and was admired for his vision, passing and ability to operate as both a striker and a creative playmaker.
Totti’s best Ballon d’Or finish was fifth in 2001, the year Liverpool forward Michael Owen won the award. Although he never reached the top three, his importance to Roma and Italian football extended far beyond individual rankings.
The African dimension adds further significance to the discussion. Liberia’s George Weah remains the only African player to have won the men’s Ballon d’Or, achieving the feat in 1995. Senegal’s Sadio Mané finished second in 2022, while Salah placed fourth in 2025 and Drogba finished fourth in 2007.
Ultimately, missing the Ballon d’Or podium does not diminish what these players achieved. Their careers were shaped by trophies, defining performances, records and contributions to their teams, not simply by where they finished in an annual vote.
For Salah, Drogba, Bale, Suárez, Robben and Totti, the gap between greatness and a top-three Ballon d’Or finish was sometimes just one place. Their careers remain reminders that football’s history is far richer than any single ranking.
