7 Real Madrid stars who came close to winning the Ballon d’Or but never won

This year’s Ballon d’Or winner will be announced later today. real Madrid Players nominated include Antonio Rudiger, Dani Carvajal, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. Former Los Blancos midfielder Toni Kroos is also in the running for the award.

Over the years, this prestigious award has been won by many Real Madrid legends, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Luis Figo. However, there have been plenty of Los Blancos stars who have never won the Ballon d’Or, despite their significant achievements on the pitch for the club.

Let’s take a look at those players who came close to winning this honor.

Spanish striker Emilion Butragueno, nicknamed “The Vulture”, played for the Los Blancos first team from 1984 to 1995.

While playing for Real Madrid, he scored 123 goals in 341 matches. He also won numerous trophies, including La Liga five times and the UEFA Cup (now Europa League) twice.

After several stellar performances, Butragueño finished third in the Ballon d’Or awards in 1986 and 1987, narrowly missing out on first place for several years in a row.

Yugoslavia-born Predrag Mijatović had three successful years with Real Madrid from 1996 to 1999, scoring 38 goals in 90 games and also winning La Liga, the UEFA Champions League, the Spanish Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.

In 1997, Mijatović reached the pinnacle of his personal career by finishing second at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, losing to Inter Milan’s Ronaldo, who later signed for Los Blancos. This will be the only time he comes close to winning the prestigious award.

Amancio had a long career with Real Madrid, playing for the club from 1962 to 1976. While playing for Los Blancos, the Coruña-born striker won nine La Liga titles, a European Cup and three Spanish Cups.

Two years after moving to Real Madrid, Amancio was nominated for the Ballon d’Or and finished third. He missed out on the top prize to Manchester United’s Denis Law.

Real Madrid signed Davor Suker from Sevilla in 1996. Two years later, the forward was nominated for the Ballon d’Or, finishing second to Zinedine Zidane, who later moved to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Suker was an immediate success for Los Blancos, scoring 24 goals in 38 games during his first season. In the following campaign he scored 10 goals in 29 matches. Despite his form, it was not enough to win the Ballon d’Or from French midfielder Zidane.

Between 1996 and 2007, Brazilian Roberto Carlos, considered one of the greatest left-backs in history, wowed Real Madrid fans with his energetic play and exceptional skill.

After an incredible campaign, Carlos was named the 2002 Ballon d’Or winner, losing out to Los Blancos teammate Ronaldo. Despite his impressive success on the field, this would be the only time he would finish in the top three at the awards ceremony.

What an incredible game Raul had at Real Madrid. The Spanish striker joined Los Blancos as a youth in 1994 and made 550 appearances for the club before leaving the Santiago Bernabeu in 2010.

The prolific goalscorer, who scored 228 goals during his time at the club, is considered one of Real Madrid’s greatest strikers.

In 2001, Raul won the Ballon d’Or. As with Carlos, this would be the only time he would finish in the top three.

From 1958 to 1966, Hungary international Ferenc Puskás scored 156 times in 180 appearances for Real Madrid – a remarkable achievement.

During his time at the club, Puskás won numerous trophies, including La Liga five times and the European Cup (now UEFA Champions League) three times. Notably, he scored four goals in the 1960 Champions League final.

Despite his achievements, the Hungarian striker was never awarded the Ballon d’Or. He came close in 1960, but was put in first place by Barcelona’s Luis Suarez, considered by many to be one of the greatest players in Spanish football history.

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