The 5 Liverpool legends who finished in the Ballon d’Or top three: Dalglish, Van Dijk, Owen…
Liverpool have been home to some truly legendary footballers over the years, from the great European Cup-winning sides of the 70s and 80s to the modern era.
Unsurprisingly, plenty of those players have received recognition in the Ballon d’Or voting.
The Reds have had one winner of the prestigious individual award, alongside several other players who came agonisingly close to getting their hands on the trophy.
Kevin Keegan, Ian Rush, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are among those to have finished in the top five.
But only five players have made the podium while representing Liverpool. Here they are, ranked from third place to first.
5. Fernando Torres (3rd) – 2008
For a couple of glorious years, Torres was arguably the best centre-forward in the Premier League. Just ask Nemanja Vidic.
His first Liverpool season was his most prolific, yielding 33 goals in all competitions, including 24 in the Premier League.
The Spaniard then scored the winner in the Euro 2008 final against Germany, sealing his place on the Ballon d’Or podium behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Injuries disrupted his subsequent seasons, although he remained outstanding during Liverpool’s near-miss in the 2008-09 title race.
We didn’t get to enjoy peak Torres for nearly long enough.
4. Steven Gerrard (3rd) – 2005
Gerrard made the Ballon d’Or shortlist in five different years, but his third-place finish in 2005 was comfortably his best. And we all know why.
His performance in Istanbul, inspiring Liverpool’s comeback from 3-0 down against AC Milan, might just be the most legendary individual display in the club’s history.
Jamie Carragher (20th) and Luis Garcia (23rd) also received nominations that year, but Gerrard was the undisputed star of Rafa Benitez’s European champions.
Prime Ronaldinho won it that year. Gerrard and runner-up Frank Lampard made it two Englishmen on the podium. Only Jude Bellingham, in 2024, has managed a top-three finish in the 20 editions since.
3. Virgil van Dijk (2nd) – 2019
Seven points. That’s all that separated Van Dijk from Lionel Messi in the 2019 Ballon d’Or voting.
The Liverpool defender had been outstanding throughout the Reds’ Champions League-winning campaign and was widely regarded as the finest centre-back on the planet.
He actually received more first-place votes than Messi, but ultimately had to settle for second.
Quite possibly the greatest centre-back in Liverpool’s history.
2. Kenny Dalglish (2nd) – 1983
Signed to replace Kevin Keegan in 1977, the Scot somehow improved an already formidable side, winning three European Cups and six league titles.
Keegan won the Ballon d’Or twice after leaving Anfield. Dalglish never did, finishing runner-up to Michel Platini in 1983.
Was there a continental bias in the voting? English clubs won seven European Cups between 1977 and 1984, yet their players received relatively little recognition.
Whatever the explanation, King Kenny deserved more than a solitary podium finish.
1. Michael Owen (1st) – 2001
Owen’s 2001 was the stuff of dreams.
The striker helped Liverpool win the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup, Charity Shield and UEFA Super Cup, while his hat-trick against Germany provided another unforgettable highlight.
He beat Raul to the Ballon d’Or by 36 points, becoming the first Liverpool player to win the award.
“I believe I don’t get the sort of credit that other people would get for winning the Ballon d’Or,” Owen later told FourFourTwo.
“It’s never been that important in our country. When I was in Spain, they said I was a hero for winning it. I’m immensely proud of winning it. I look down the list of names, and I still have it saved on my phone – a photo of the points system and who was second, third, fourth and the rest of it.
“You look at that list and it’s awe-inspiring. That’s all I ever wanted as a kid. I didn’t just want to be a footballer; I wanted to be the best footballer. Winning it feels better now than it did when I was playing. You’re 22 – it’s just another trophy, and now I’ve got to win it again.”
