Why Pele and Maradona Never Won the Ballon d’Or
Football fans around the world are eagerly awaiting the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony, scheduled to take place at London’s Palladium on Monday, October 26. The ceremony will honour the world’s best footballers.
This year’s ceremony is particularly significant as the prestigious award marks its 70th anniversary.
However, one surprising fact is that two of the greatest footballers of all time, Pele and Diego Maradona, never won the competitive Ballon d’Or.
Brazilian legend Pele won three World Cups, while Maradona inspired Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986 with his extraordinary performances. Yet neither received football’s most prestigious individual award during his playing career.
The reason lies in the award’s eligibility rules.
When French magazine France Football introduced the Ballon d’Or in 1956, it was restricted to European players playing for European clubs.
As a result, players from South America, Africa and other regions were ineligible, regardless of their performances.
Pele spent most of his career playing for Brazilian club Santos. Under the rules at the time, he was therefore ineligible for the award.
Maradona faced the same restriction. Although he played for major European clubs such as Barcelona and Napoli, his Argentine nationality made him ineligible for the Ballon d’Or.
Even in 1986, when Maradona led Argentina to World Cup glory, he could not be considered for the award.
Similarly, Pele never won the honour despite helping Brazil win World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
The rules changed significantly in 1995, when players of any nationality playing for European clubs became eligible for the award.
Liberian striker George Weah benefited from the change, winning the Ballon d’Or in 1995 after playing for Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan. He became the first African player to win the award.
In 2007, the eligibility rules were expanded further, allowing players from any country playing anywhere in the world to compete for the honour.
By then, however, both Pele and Maradona had long retired from football.
Both players later received honorary recognition for their contributions to the game, although neither won the competitive Ballon d’Or.
Maradona received an honorary Ballon d’Or in 1995 in recognition of his remarkable career. Pele was awarded an honorary FIFA Ballon d’Or at the 2013 ceremony.
However, these honorary awards are not included in the official list of competitive Ballon d’Or winners.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or eight times, while Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed the honour five times.
Despite their extraordinary achievements and lasting influence on football, Pele and Maradona never won the competitive Ballon d’Or.
Their stories serve as a reminder that a footballer’s greatness cannot always be measured by the number of individual trophies he wins.
Source: BSS
