Giulio Pedia | Why have Pele and Maradona never won the Ballon d’Or?

The absence of Argentina’s Diego Armando Maradona and Brazil’s Pelé from the record of winning the Ballon d’Or is one of the surprising things in football history.

Maradona, who for the second time in the history of Albiceleste led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup, is one of the legends of football and is considered one of the best players in history.

As for Pelé, who has won the Player’s Cup 3 times with the Brazilian national team, he also did not have a share of winning the Ballon d’Or, although he was one of the most important stars of the “Seleção” in history, and one of the best players in history.

It is true that Maradona was awarded the Ballon d’Or once by the French magazine “France Football” which organized the award, but it was in 1995, and it was an honorary title for his entire career, and not a title registered in the record magazine.

In Goal Pedia, we highlight why Maradona has never won the Ballon d’Or, despite his brilliance on the football field throughout his career.

Why didn’t Maradona win the Ballon d’Or?

The prevailing rules for awarding the Ballon d’Or during Maradona’s playing days were that it was awarded only to European players.

When France Football launched the Ballon d’Or, the aim was to reward the best European player of the year by participating in international tournaments.

Therefore, neither Maradona nor the Brazilian legend Pele have ever been crowned with the Ballon d’Or, launched in 1956 and won by the Englishman Stanley Matthews.

Who is the first non-European player to win the Ballon d’Or?

The decision not to award the Ballon d’Or to a non-European player was extended for 39 years, until 1995.

That year, Milan star George Weah won the Ballon d’Or thanks to a rule change.

Subsequently, the Brazilian Ronaldo won the award in 1997 and 2002, then his compatriot Rivaldo in 1999, Ronaldinho in 2005 and Kakà in 2007.

Barcelona legend Lionel Messi is also the most awarded player in history, having won the title seven times, in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021.