The 17 best Ballon d'Or runners-up who never won ranked – Van Dijk, Beckham, Henry

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England's Sir Stanley Matthews was the first to claim the coveted prize and in the years since, he's been succeeded by footballing royalty.Lionel Messi's eight awards are what many of his fans cite as definitive proof that he's the GOAT. But it was Andriy Shevchenko who pipped him to the Ballon d'Or.

However, Zinedine Zidane ensured he settled for Ballon d'Or silver. He came close in 2005 to being crowned the world's best but had a prime Ronaldinho to contend with.

Virgil van Dijk (2019)One of the few on the list who are still playing, Virgil van Dijk will surely be looked back on in the years to come as one of the Premier League's finest ever defenders.He's a two-time top-flight winner and claimed the Champions League in an era of Liverpool football that he has defined - the Dutchman did all this with a physical dominance and composure that not many possess. Michael Owen's Ballon d'Or win came at his expense.