Footballers not only play to bring joy to their fans and families, but they also strive to achieve individual honors that will be cherished long after their playing days are over.

One of the most prestigious of these awards is the Ballon d'Or, or Golden Ball. Since 1956, this annual award has been presented by the French magazine France Football to the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.

For more than 60 years, the Ballon d'Or has been the highest individual accolade a footballer can achieve, distinguishing the recipient as the best among their peers and recognizing their accomplishments at both the club and international levels.

Pulse Ghana Sports writer Christopher Sededzi Kwame takes a closer look at the players who have won this coveted award while playing in positions other than forwards.

Goalkeeper

Lev Yashin

The Soviet professional footballer is among the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the game. He was known for his athleticism, positioning, imposing presence in goal, and acrobatic reflex saves.

According to FIFA, Yashin saved over 150 penalty kicks in professional football more than any other goalkeeper. He also kept over 270 clean sheets in his career, winning a gold medal at the 1956 Olympic football tournament and the 1960 European Championships.

In 1963, Yashin received the Ballon d'Or, the only goalkeeper ever to receive the award. He was additionally named posthumously to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020, a greatest all-time XI, and was voted the best goalkeeper of the 20th century by the IFFHS.

Defenders

Franz Anton Beckenbauer

Beckenbauer is widely considered one of the greatest football players in the history of the game. He is the only defender in football history to win the Ballon d'Or twice and is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper or libero, a defensive player who intervenes proactively in the offensive game of his team.

Matthias Sammer

He played as a defensive midfielder and later in his career as a sweeper. Germany won the UEFA Euro 1996 with Sammer as a player, where he was named the tournament's best player and was subsequently awarded the Ballon d'Or later that year for his exceptional defensive skills.

Fabio Cannavaro

He is regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time. Cannavaro led Italy to victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and was given the nickname Il Muro di Berlino (The Berlin Wall) by the Italian supporters due to his defensive performances, which saw Italy keep five clean sheets and concede only two goals, neither of which were in open play.

He was awarded the Silver Ball after being named the tournament's second-best player. He was named the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, making him the only defender in history to have won the award. He also won the Ballon d'Or award in 2006, which made him the only defender to win the award in a decade and only the third of all time after Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer.

Midfielders

Josef Masopust

Czech football player and coach. He played as a midfielder and was a key player for Czechoslovakia, helping them reach the 1962 FIFA World Cup Final. He was capped 63 times, scoring ten goals for his national team. He won the Ballon d'Or in 1962.

Lothar Matthaus

He captained West Germany to victory in the 1990 FIFA World Cup and was awarded the Ballon d'Or. In 1991, he was named the first FIFA World Player of the Year and remains the only German to have received the award. He was also included in the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020.

Luka Modric

Modric's unbelievable performances in 2018 broke up the hegemony of Messi and Ronaldo, but it was the likes of Josef Masopust and Lothar Matthaus who paved the way for the Croatian

Michel Platini

France has produced a conveyor belt of elegant No.10s in recent years, and they dominate this section of the list, with Michel Platini winning the award three times on his own in the 1980s.

Ricardo Kaka

A talented midfielder who excelled at AC Milan and was fundamental to Brazil's success in world football

Raymond Kopa

Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Kopa was a forward who was quick, agile, and known for his dribbling, playmaking, and prolific scoring. In 1958, Kopa was awarded the Ballon d'Or.

Zinedine Zidane

Zidane was a playmaker renowned for his elegance, vision, passing, and ball control. He received many individual accolades as a player, including being named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1998, 2000, and 2003 and winning the 1998 Ballon d'Or.

Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira

Rivaldo is regarded as one of the greatest, most skilled, and most creative players of all time. He was renowned for his bending free kicks, bicycle kicks, feints, powerful ball striking from distance, and ability to both score and create goals. In 1999, he won the Ballon d'Or and was named FIFA World Player of the Year.

Gianni Rivera

Regarded as one of the best players of his generation, one of the greatest Italian footballers of all time, and by some as Italy's greatest player ever, he was awarded the Ballon d'Or in 1969 and placed 19th in IFFHS's election for the World Player of the 20th Century.

Ruud Gullit

Gullit won the Ballon d'Or in 1987 and was named the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989. Normally an attacking midfielder, he was a versatile player, playing in numerous positions during his career.

Rodri Hernández Cascante

Rodri helped Manchester City secure a fourth consecutive Premier League title and led Spain to victory in Euro 2024, where he was named Best Player of the tournament despite getting injured in the final.

This victory also makes Rodri the first Premier League player to win the Ballon d'Or since Cristiano Ronaldo lifted his first in 2008.

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