The 10 Most Likely Players To Win The Super Ballon d'Or (Ranked)

What Is The Super Ballon d’Or?

The Super Ballon d’Or is a very rare award that has only been given out in football history once, to Alfredo Di Stefano back in 1989, beating the likes of Johan Cruyff to the award. It was given out by France Football magazine to honour the best-performing player over the previous three decades. There is some speculation that it could be awarded once again in 2029, with that being the 40th anniversary of the award. So which players are most likely to be in the running, based on performances from 1990 onwards, if the award were to return?

🚨 𝗘𝗫𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗩𝗘: The idea of the Super Ballon d'Or is still in full flow!

The award would be given to the best player of the last 30 years, and it would be presented in 2029, exactly 30 years after the last Super Ballon d'Or was presented to Di Stefano in 1989! ✨ pic.twitter.com/ebHRWwbO65

— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) November 14, 2025

10 Most Likely Players To Win The Award?

10. Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry is widely regarded as the best player to ever grace the pitch in the Premier League, having been part of Arsenal’s Invincibles team, so he is an obvious contender for this award. However, he never got his hands on the Ballon d’Or award during his career, famously being “robbed” in 2003 when the award was given to Pavel Nedved. So, this might impact his chances to get his hands on yet another trophy!

9. Kaka

Former AC Milan and Real Madrid midfielder Kaka is one of only a few players to have won a World Cup, Champions League and Ballon d’Or during his illustrious career. Not only that, but the Brazilian was also a joy to watch, as he seemed to have it all, from fantastic technical ability to also great physicality at the same time, which would make him a great contender for this award.

8. Luka Modric

In an era dominated by two of the greatest to play the game, Luka Modric won a Ballon d’Or in 2018, which shows what an incredible talent he was. The longevity of the Croatian’s career is astonishing too, with him being an integral part of 6 Champions League wins with Real Madrid and reaching the World Cup Final in 2018 with Croatia.

📅 On this day, in 2018, Luka Modrić became the first player outside of Messi and Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or since 2007. 🌕🇭🇷

🗣️ Sergio Ramos: “Modrić deserves the Ballon d’Or. Everything Real Madrid won that year — he was at the heart of it.”

🗣️ Marcelo: “For me, Luka is… pic.twitter.com/jBT5lvcMkn

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) December 3, 2025

7. Andres Iniesta

There couldn’t be a list such as this without including at least one of the famous midfield trio of Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta. The latter is seen as one of the greatest Barcelona and Spain players of all time, which says everything as to how great it was to watch him simply control a football game from the middle of the park.

6. Ronaldo Nazario

A player that could have been so much higher in this list if it wasn’t for heartbreaking injury and fitness issues that cut his career short. His nickname, The Phenomenon, says all you need to hear about this icon of the game who was seen as a freak of nature with his balance of speed and power. His incredible ability awarded him with two Ballon d’Or trophies in 1997 and 2002.

5. Ronaldinho

Another Brazilian in this list is Ronaldinho, who inspired a generation of fans of the sport with his samba style and how easy he made the game look. The peak of Ronaldinho’s career is arguably the best peak of a player in football history, but much like R9, he struggled with the longevity side of the game. However, yet again, he is in a list of a few players to win the Ballon d’Or, Champions League and World Cup in his career.

Ronaldinho was a JOY to watch. 🇧🇷😍 pic.twitter.com/CbnRKvxuS4

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) November 10, 2025

4. Neymar

Neymar is also a Brazilian winger who on his day is a joy to watch for his brilliance on the ball and his vast number of skills in his locker, much like Ronaldinho. If it wasn’t for the dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo during his career, Neymar would have definitely won a Ballon d’Or award, as he was an integral part of Barcelona’s success during his stay there and is still the most expensive football transfer ever, with him costing the Spanish giant 222 million euros.

3. Zinedine Zidane

He is the only player in this list to win the Champions League as both a manager and a player. But this award is based on playing the game and he definitely is in the conversation of one of the best to ever do it. The greatest French player of all time had it all: strength to win the ball back, technical skill to beat a player, and also a knack for scoring great goals. During his time at the likes of Juventus and Real Madrid, Zidane won all there was to possibly win, so there would be no surprise if he won this award too.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

The greatest player in Real Madrid history and a true icon of the game, Ronaldo proved his ability in three of Europe’s greatest leagues. Alongside this, he is the greatest ever goalscorer to play the game and has won 5 Ballon d’Or awards along the way. For years he was argued to be the greatest footballer of all time (GOAT) but recently the majority have decided he comes up short; however, he is still definitely a strong contender for this award.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the player with the most official professional goals and assists in football history (954 goals / 320 assists). ⚽

The Greatest of All Time 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/8jnmQvcHhb

— THE DUKE OF MADRID (@navasjnr30) December 17, 2025

1. Lionel Messi

The greatest player to play the beautiful game is Lionel Messi. There has never been a player with the ability to make the game look as easy as the Argentine has down the years. He certainly has the trophies to show that, with 12 league titles, 4 Champions Leagues, a record 8 Ballon d’Or awards and, of course, a World Cup to his name. It would take something extraordinary to ever take the Argentine off of the top of the footballing mountain, which is exactly why he would win the Super Ballon d’Or if it were to ever return.