Ranking 5 Real Madrid players who deserved to win the Ballon d'Or in the 21st century
Monday is the day many in the footballing world have been looking forward to all year: the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony. The night when some of the best footballers are all gathered in one place hoping they get their hands on the iconic Golden Ball and are crowned the best player in the world. Real Madrid has a number of players nominated, with Kylian Mbappe among the three favorites to take home the award.
As with previous years, Real Madrid has a number of players nominated, but that is somewhat common ground for the biggest club in the world. Real Madrid has had their fair share of winners in the past, but they have also had their fair share of deserving winners get snubbed in favor of someone else. That has very much been the case for Real Madrid players in the 21st century, with these five players being the most hard-done at the Ballon d'Or ceremony. Let's look at five Real Madrid players who should have won the Ballon d'Or but didn't.
Who are the should have been Real Madrid Ballon d'Or winners?
1. Vinicius Junior, 2024
We'll get the most obvious one out of the way first: Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian pretty much had his hands on the award in 2024 but was snubbed at the last moment for Rodri, in one of the most polarizing editions of the award to date. Vinicius was arguably the best player in the world during Real Madrid's incredible 23/24 season, where he bagged 23 goals and 11 assists en route to a La Liga and Champions League double. The Brazilian was more than deserving to be crowned winner, but unfortunately things didn't go his way, and it is remembered as the closest should-have-been Ballon d'Or winner in Real Madrid history, and the beginning of Real Madrid's strained relationship with the Ballon d'Or.
2. Jude Bellingham, 2024
Next we come to Jude Bellingham, who also had a strong case to bring home the award for Real Madrid in 2024. His first season at Real Madrid is arguably the greatest debut season in the club's history, which saw the Englishman bag 23 goals and 13 assists, playing just as important a part in Real Madrid's double as Vinicius Junior. Bellingham was key in helping to fill the absence left by Karim Benzema's departure, pulling out his full bag of tricks all season, showing that he is not your average midfielder. The Brazilian was the favorite in the eyes of many, but if Vinicius was 1A, Bellingham was 1B and easily could have brought the award back home to the Bernabeu.
3. Sergio Ramos, 2017
Next, we have Sergio Ramos. The Spaniard was far and away the best defender in the world for the majority of his time at Real Madrid, garnering six nominations for the Ballon d'Or, with sixth place being his highest finish in 2017. That season in particular was one of his strongest, as he contributed not just big time on the defensive side of the ball, but also going forward, grabbing some key goals and assists for Real Madrid as they won the double that season. Winning the Ballon d'Or as a defender is always tough, but if any defender was worthy of winning the award in the modern game, it's Sergio Ramos.
4. Raul, 2001
Raul was Real Madrid's talisman for almost two decades, winning multiple La Liga titles, Champions League titles, as well as Golden Boots in both La Liga and the Champions League. The Spaniard was consistently posting outrageous goal tallies, scoring 32 goals in the 2000/01 season, a season that saw him finish second in the Ballon d'Or voting to Liverpool's Michael Owen, in one of the more debatable Ballon d'Or decisions in the 21st century. Raul came so close to getting his hands on the iconic Golden Ball award, but unfortunately he never ended up winning one despite being a more than deserving winner.
5. Iker Casillas, 2008
Finally, we come to Iker Casillas. No goalkeeper has won the Ballon d'Or since Lev Yashin in 1963, but if any goalkeeper was deserving to, it was Iker Casillas. At his peak, he was far and away the best goalkeeper in the world, earning himself a fourth-place finish in 2008, as he was a key player in not just Real Madrid's success, but also Spain's success in his playing career. His consistency and longevity at the highest level were more than deserving of a history-making Ballon d'Or win for goalkeeper; however, in the Messi-Ronaldo Ballon d'Or era, taking home the award as a goalkeeper was impossible despite being a worthy winner.
