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Anderson, Rahul, Azam, Holder and Seales the other major gainers in the latest update

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2021Joe Root’s blistering form in England’s ongoing series against India has taken him to the second spot in the Test rankings for batters, only eight points behind the top-ranked Kane Williamson. Root has climbed to 893 rating points, with Williamson on 901.In the two Tests so far, Root has scored 64, 109, 180* and 33, with his series tally of 386 runs the highest by a distance. Root has leapfrogged over the Australian duo of Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, who are third and fourth. The Indian trio of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant remain at five, six and seven.England are trailing 1-0 after defeat at Lord’s in the second Test of the five-match series, and while Root has been their standout batter, James Anderson has been the home side’s best bowler, and has climbed one spot. He is now at No.6, behind Pat Cummins, R Ashwin, Tim Southee, Josh Hazlewood and Neil Wagner. Anderson has 800 rating points, just 10 behind Wagner. Anderson also moved past Anil Kumble’s tally of 619 on the list of highest wicket-takers in Test history during the the first Test.Full rankings tables

Click here for the full team rankings across formats

Click here for the full player rankings

KL Rahul, who made 129 in the first innings of the second Test, has jumped 19 spots and is now 37th in the batter’s rankings. Rahul has been India’s highest run-getter so far in the series.Others who made gains after the Lord’s Test include Mark Wood and Mohammed Siraj. Wood took five wickets in the match and moved up five places to 37th, although he hurt his right shoulder and is doubtful for the third Test, at Headingley from August 25. Siraj’s eight wickets pushed him up 18 spots and he’s now at 38.Several players made gains from the first West Indies vs Pakistan Test too, which ended in a thrilling one-wicket victory for West Indies.Babar Azam’s 30 and 55 took him up two spots to eighth among batters. Meanwhile, Jason Holder broke into the top ten of the bowling rankings, gaining two positions to be No.9. Holder’s good all-round returns – four wickets in the match and a fifty in the first innings – pushed him up the batting rankings too, up by five spots to be at 43. He thus further consolidated his top spot in the allrounder’s rankings, and has 414 points now. Player-of-the-match Jayden Seales was another big mover, shooting up 39 places to the 58th spot in the bowling charts after his eight wickets in the match. Shaheen Afridi, too, gained four spots to move up to No. 18.

Inter Miami has confirmed the club's preseason plans as the Herons get set to play five games in the Americas

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Messi and Miami set for preseason tourSet to play in North, South and Central AmericaFirst games under new coach MascheranoFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Inter Miami unveiled the club's preseason plan on Friday, confirming a five-match schedule leading up to the 2025 MLS season. After playing in Asia as part of a globe-trotting 2024 tour, the Herons will stay in the Western Hemisphere this time around as they bounce across North, South and Central America.

Up first will be a match with Mexican champions Club America on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas before the club heads south to Peru to face Universitario in Lima on Jan. 29. Miami will then head to Panama to face Sporting San Miguelito on Feb. 2 before then travelling to Honduras to face Olimpia in San Pedro Sula six days later. The tour will conclude on Feb. 14 with a match against rivals Orlando City in Tampa.

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The Herons continue to bring their star-studded act on tour in an attempt to grow the club's brand, but it's clear that they did learn a bit from last season's worldwide tour. Ahead of the 2024 season, the club logged plenty of travel miles, and took some ugly on-field losses along the way, leading to some sluggish moments early in the MLS season.

Ultimately, the Herons won the Supporters' Shield, but that wasn't enough in the end as they fell to Atlanta Untied in the first round of the MLS Playoffs in one of the league's all-time great upsets.

AFPWHAT TEAM SAID

“We’re very excited to unveil the five matches against domestic and international opponents across the Americas that will prepare us for a highly anticipated 2025. These fixtures will put us in the best possible position ahead of an unparalleled campaign with various competitions we're playing for this year – the FIFA Club World Cup, CONCACAF Champions Cup, Leagues Cup and MLS,” Inter Miami president of football operations Raul Sanlleh said in a statement.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?

The club's preseason will be the first under new head coach Javier Mascherano, who replaced Tata Martino following the 2024 season. He'll not only lead Miami into the MLS season, but also the CONCACAF Champions Cup, beginning on Feb. 18, and the Club World Cup, which kicks off in June.

The mood around Molineux at the moment is understandably sombre, as Wolverhampton Wanderers currently find themselves right at the bottom of the Premier League pile.

There were some crumbs of positivity for the Old Gold to cling onto last time out versus Liverpool, as Arne Slot’s Reds had to battle it out to pick up a slim 2-1 win, but Gary O’Neil’s men still find themselves desperately searching for a win after six league games without one.

There is obvious quality in the ranks to turn around this dire start to the campaign, however, with Mario Lemina and Matheus Cunha both classy players on their day for the relegation-threatened outfit.

Cunha and Lemina's importance to Wolves

Lemina even now adorns the captain’s armband for the West Midlands side, having taken over those duties after Max Kilman’s exit to West Ham United.

He has played like a captain figure in glimpses for Wolves so far this campaign, with this fantastic strike against Newcastle United last month gifting his side a 1-0 lead, before the Magpies clawed their way back into the game to win 2-1.

Moreover, the Gabonese midfielder shone last time out against the Reds too, as a steely Old Gold side didn’t roll over for Slot’s men to convincingly win, with eight duels won across his impressive 90 minutes.

Cunha has also been a top performer away from the Wolves captain, having fired home two strikes from the attacking spots from six league games to date, to at least raise some smiles amongst an otherwise despondent fanbase.

Both the Brazilian attacker and Lemina are guaranteed names on O’Neil’s teamsheet currently, yet find their wages pale in comparison to that of Nelson Semedo’s, despite the Portuguese defender having a wretched time of things this season contrasted with Cunha and his 31-year-old teammate.

Semedo's wage at Wolves

Semedo, who is also 30 years of age himself, has really struggled this campaign so far for his lowly employers, which makes his high wage feel rather extortionate now.

The sub-par Wolves number 22 rakes in a staggering £80k-per-week for O’Neil’s men, as per Capology, whilst both Cunha and Lemina only earn reduced pay packets of £60k-per-week and £45k-per-week respectively.

Stat

Semedo

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

58

Accurate passes

30/36 (83%)

Accurate crosses

0/2

Accurate long balls

0/5

Total duels won

6/12

Penalty committed

1

Whist Lemina and Cunha tried their hardest for the cause against Liverpool, Semedo visibly struggled, with the former Barcelona man gifting the away side a late penalty after clumsily tangling himself with ex-Wolves hero Diogo Jota in the box.

Also failing to leave his mark on the contest in an attacking sense, with zero accurate crosses or long balls registered, Semedo could well find he’s out of his manager’s first-team plans for the trip to Brentford up next in the Premier League.

It’s not as if Semedo’s struggles were exclusively only on view last time out, with the Portuguese full-back below-par away at Aston Villa the match before too, having only won two duels from seven attempted as Unai Emery’s men eventually ran riot in a 3-1 victory.

On the books at Molineux since 2020, there may well need to be discussions soon over the experienced defender’s future at the top-flight strugglers, with his contract up next summer and his wage higher than a number of key first-team presences who are continuing to shine even through adversity at the foot of the division.

O’Neil will hope his side can turn around their woeful form soon, with the former AFC Bournemouth manager aware that some major decisions will need to be made to ensure Wolves don’t become a sinking ship, as Semedo now worries about his future in England.

O'Neil must axe Wolves star who earns more than Mosquera & Gomes combined

This Wolverhampton Wanderers high earner could soon be ditched for good.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 1, 2024

The franchise will be one of three, along with Colombo and Dambulla, to have new owners for the tournament’s second edition

Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Oct-2021The owners of last year’s Lankan Premier League (LPL) winning side – Jaffna Stallions – are incensed, after tournament organisers announced last week that the Jaffna franchise would have a new owner for the tournament’s second edition.Related

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The Stallions’ termination means that three of the league’s five teams will have new owners for the second edition of the LPL, with the Colombo and Dambulla franchises previously having been terminated. Jaffna’s new owner is Allirajah Subaskaran, founder and chairman of the Lyca Group of companies in the UK, and it seems now that the team will no longer be called Stallions. The league is now scheduled to to take place in December, having been postponed from August.Tournament organisers Innovative Production Group (IPG) have hit back at the Stallions’ narrative, and we will get to their comments. But first, the Stallions owners’ complaints are these: Despite having been one of only three franchises to have fulfilled their financial commitments for 2020 (this was confirmed by tournament organisers), they have been “unfairly treated” by the LPL. The LPL’s first edition was conducted without a serious commitment to transparency, particularly as at least two franchises were being underwritten by the organisers themselves. Their refusal to pay the franchise fees for the second edition of the tournament this far out was because of the uncertainty surrounding the tournament. They claim they had been required to make payments sometime in the middle of this year, despite their suspicion that the league would be postponed, which it ultimately was. That their prize money for winning the inaugural edition had been delayed for months.Rahul Sood, a former Microsoft executive who was co-owner of the Stallions, described their removal as a franchise as “disgusting” on Twitter. “Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine something like this would happen. We were blindsided.”IPG, meanwhile, has called the Stallions’ claims “baseless rumours being spread with malicious intent” in a strongly worded release. The group’s counter-claims, which are many, include: Stallions had not appropriately paid their fees in the first edition either (which Stallions’ ownership vehemently deny). That the Stallions have not paid their fee for the second edition, when two other teams (Galle Gladiators and the new Dambulla franchise) already have. That the Know Your Customer (KYC) details that the Stallions submitted to both tournament organisers and the ICC were convoluted, because they included as many as 14 owners. IPG CEO Anil Mohan told ESPNcricinfo that he had submitted the Stallions’ KYC application to the ICC’s anti-corruption unit, which he said was of the view that 14 owners were too many. The ICC has not officially verified this, however, nor has it publicly taken issue with the Stallions’ involvement in the inaugural LPL, although the team did seem to have fewer owners then. The Stallions themselves claim they had been described as a “model franchise” by an ICC official during the first edition.The first-edition of the LPL was largely seen as a success, with the tournament having gained substantial local support, and supposedly having commanded a significant television audience. That the league has now terminated the popular champions of that edition, to follow a tournament postponement, does raise questions about its viability.

Chelsea are growing increasingly concerned about one of their new additions after his growth appeared to slow down following his signing for the club, it has been reported.

Chelsea eyeing more signings under Maresca

Despite concerns, Chelsea’s transfer plan is beginning to take shape, though they have spent too much for it not to.

The Blues have focused on signing young talents who have the potential to become world-class, but that has seen plenty of players written off early after signing, including the likes of David Fofana and Deivid Washington, with the former having now departed the club on loan for AEK Athens.

The players currently at Enzo Maresca’s disposal have begun the Premier League season strongly, spearheaded once again by Cole Palmer, while they are set to be reinforced by other additions further down the line amid continued links with Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen, who will be available in January should they wish to pursue a deal.

They are also thought to be keen on signing another left-sided centre-back amid interest in both Tomas Araujo and Castello Lukeba, though the latter would likely be a very expensive addition.

January is set to continue in largely the same fashion as the majority of recent windows under Chelsea’s new owners, which has seen plenty of players arrive, and a similar number depart as they look to finalise a squad capable of finally competing for the Premier League title once again.

Chelsea signings per transfer window since Boehly took over

Summer 2022

9

Winter 2023

8

Summer 2023

12

Winter 2024

0

Summer 2024

11

Summer 2025 (so far)

2

But one of their signings isn’t working out exactly as they would have hoped.

Chelsea concerned over Kendry Paez development

That comes as Football Insider report that Chelsea have significant concerns over the development of talented teenager Kendry Paez, who they shelled out £17m to sign back in 2023, and who is set to join up with the West London side in the summer of 2025.

However, he has not progressed as the club would have hoped during his time with Independiente del Valle, leaving Blues scouts “alarmed” and “very worried”. They report that Chelsea scouts believe he has not been as effective in recent months as the Premier League giants had hoped and that he isn’t progressing as quickly as coaches hoped, leading to concerns about whether he will be ready for the Premier League next year.

Maresca can make Palmer more unplayable by unleashing electric Chelsea ace

They could form a deadly partnership.

ByJoe Nuttall Oct 6, 2024

Paez has also been “caught in some off-field skirmishes” since the move was announced, having been taken to clubs in Las Vegas while on international duty before “reportedly caught partying in a nightclub again” more recently, something that will not go down well with his new club in west London.

It has all led to Chelsea reportedly left “very worried” about their newest potential superstar. It remains to be seen whether he is sent out on loan next summer, or the club decide that he is ready for first-team action at Stamford Bridge.

Weston McKennie and Tim Weah were named to Juventus' starting XI, but the Americans couldn't turn the tide in a 2-0 Champions League loss to Benfica.

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McKennie captains JuveWeah starts at right backJuve fall 2-0 to BenficaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

U.S. international Weston McKennie got the captain armband for Juventus, but that was arguably the sole highlight in an uninspiring 2-0 defeat to Benfica in their Champions League league phase finale.

Juventus entered the match knowing that they had a spot in the next round, even with a defeat. The game's opening goal came in the 16th minute, and it was kickstarted by a Federico Gatti mishap at the back. The ball then fell to Alexander Bah, who slid a pass to Vangelis Pavlidis to give the Portuguese side the 1-0 advantage. They would never look back, as they booked their own place in the knockout playoffs with Wednesday's victory, solidifying their triumph with an Orkun Kokcu insurance goal late on.

As for Juve, they finish outside the top eight with a loss, which means they, too, will be entered in the knockout phase playoffs.

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McKennie started the match with a distinct honor, having been named Juve's captain on the day. And, while he held his own on that left-hand side, it wasn't enough.

In the end, McKennie completed over 90 percent of his passes while creating two chances with dangerous crosses. One of these chances came late on, when the American cut a pass back to Douglas Luiz, who wasn't able to place a shot past the goalkeeper. Defensively, he had a few good moments, too, as he went toe-to-toe with former Juventus winger and Argentine legend Angel Di Maria.

Weah, meanwhile, started opposite McKennie at right-back, and he, too, had some good moments on the attacking end, headlined by one long-range shot on goal. A winger at heart, Weah did well enough defensively, too, winning six of his eight duels while also making two tackles on the day.

Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?

With the start, McKennie has now featured in seven Champions League games this season, with four being starts. It equals his most Champions League appearances in one season. As for Weah, he, too, has featured seven times in this competition, the most in a single season of his career so far.

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Juve will turn their focus back towards Serie A as they play host to Empoli on Sunday. As things stand, the sit fifth in Serie A as they look to push up the table for that top-four finish.

West Ham United have been trying to find a lethal number nine for the past decade, often coming up short, despite spending big fees on some big names in recent times.

This includes big deals for the likes of Gianluca Scamacca who cost around £35.5m, and Sebastian Haller who cost around £45m.

The 25-year-old Italian made just 27 appearances for the Hammers, scoring eight goals, and totaling 1,342 minutes played for the club. Meanwhile, Haller made 54 appearances, netting 14 times and, providing one assist in 3,681 minutes.

Michail Antonio

317

83

Danny Ings

56

5

Gianluca Scamacca

27

8

Sebastian Haller

54

14

Lucas Perez

19

6

Marko Arnautovic

65

22

Simone Zaza

11

0

Enner Valencia

68

10

Diafra Sakho

71

24

Andy Carroll

142

34

Michail Antonio and Danny Ings are still at the club, but both are approaching the back end of their careers, with Antonio aged 34, and Ings aged 32. Therefore, West Ham could be looking to add a younger striker profile to their ranks, and may already be looking at options ahead of the January transfer window.

West Ham eyeing new striker in 2025

According to reports from talkSPORT, West Ham are still interested in Panathinaikos striker, Fotis Ioannidis, who was also on their shortlist this summer. This comes after the club made the decision to go for Niclas Füllkrug, who has struggled to get up to full fitness since joining.

The 24-year-old striker has been described as “dangerous” by analyst Ben Mattinson, referring to his instincts in the box, the variety of finishing in his toolkit, and the accuracy he can provide on his shots in such little time.

Ioannidis made 44 appearances for Panathinaikos last season, scoring 23 goals, providing nine assists, and totalling 3,043 minutes played, as his side finished fourth in the Greek Super League.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

How Ioannidis compares to Fullkrug

The Hammers signed Fullkrug this summer ahead of Ioannidis and other options, joining from Dortmund for around £27m.

This came off the back of a 16-goal season, making 46 appearances for the German side, also providing ten assists, and making it to the Champions League final, where they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid.

However, since joining the East London club, Fullkrug has made four appearances, only totalling 137 minutes played, and is yet to provide a goal contribution.

Goals

0.70

0.40

Assists

0.24

0.25

xG

1.04

0.48

Progressive Carries

2.08

0.76

Progressive Passes

1.67

2.28

Shots Total

3.60

2.34

Shots on Target

1.40

0.93

Goals/Shot

0.17

0.13

Key Passes

0.83

1.47

Shot-Creating Actions

3.13

2.52

Aerials Won

1.04

3.49

As you can see from the metrics, Ioannidis offers a more complete profile, with the ability to carry the ball forward for his team, take a high volume of shots, create for himself and others, and convert chances at a high level, scoring 0.70 goals per 90, generating 1.04 xG per 90, and converting 0.17 shots/goal per 90.

Fullkrug clearly has the qualities of a link-up striker, playing plenty of progressive and key passes, and winning aerial duels, but the fact Ioannidis can do this to a good level too, whilst adding more mobility, clinical finishing, and overall fitness/availability, makes him a great choice for the Hammers.

The Greece international could come in, change the dynamics of West Ham’s front line instantly, and offer them a more youthful option compared to the three strikers already at the club, with Antonio, Ings and Fullkrug.

West Ham could hire Lopetegui replacement who "oozes class"

West Ham could replace Lopetegui already at the London Stadium.

ByConnor Holden Oct 23, 2024

The huge win gives Oman a major qualification boost, putting them top of the table as well as handing them a favourable net run rate

Saurabh Somani17-Oct-2021Zeeshan Maqsood’s left-arm spin set it up, and a strong opening stand in which both Jatinder Singh and Aqib Ilyas hit unbeaten fifties completed a commanding ten-wicket win for Oman against PNG in the opening game of the T20 World Cup 2021.PNG had shrugged off a nightmare start when they lost two wickets and remained scoreless for 11 balls, building a good recovery through Assad Vala and Charles Amini, but unravelled from a healthy looking 102 for 3 in 14 overs to 118 for 9 in just 20 balls, with Maqsood being the demolisher in chief.Maqsood took three wickets in the 16th over, his second of the innings, to rip the heart out of PNG’s innings. He ended with 4 for 20, even bowling the final over, as PNG were restricted to 129 for 9 on a good batting deck, having looked on track for 150-plus a short while ago.Oman then bossed the chase, with Jatinder in particular unfurling an array of strokes against the Oman bowlers, particularly square of the wicket on either side. Jatinder ended the chase with a thumping six over midwicket to finish with an unbeaten 73 off 42 balls. Ilyas was more sedate, but did his role with 50* off 43, as Oman got to victory in a mere 13.4 overs, giving their net run-rate a significant early boost.Vala, Amini shrug off poor start
Bilal Khan and Kareemullah removed one opener each in their first overs, and only an inside-edged single off the last ball of the second over prevented PNG from starting their innings with two wicket-maidens. But after that start, Amini and Vala settled down and the early wobble had no effect on how they went about constructing the PNG innings. Amini was particularly free-flowing, regularly finding the fence. Vala too got into his groove and both men had taken PNG to 81 for 2 in 11.2 overs when disaster struck. Vala was unable to work a length ball from medium-pacer Mohammad Nadeem away, and it rolled back down the pitch perfectly for the bowler to collect it on his follow through. Amini, perhaps eager to get on strike since he was hitting the ball so well, had hared halfway down the pitch thinking a single was on. He had to scramble and turn back, but was never going to be in time to beat a direct hit, which is what Nadeem achieved. The 81-run stand had taken just 60 balls, and while Amini and Vala were going strong, even 160 seemed within reach.The collapse
For a brief while after Amini left, Vala took up the reins of quick scoring. The over after Amini was out, Vala was involved in a collision with Maqsood at the non-striker’s end when the bowler moved to his right to field a ball, and though the contact was not heavy, Vala seemed to fall awkwardly on his ankle and needed treatment. After that, he noticeably looked more aggressively for boundaries, biffing balls from the crease, rather than his previous mix of boundaries and runs. That perhaps brought about his downfall too, and his was the first wicket to fall in Maqsood’s adrenaline-rush 16th over. Maqsood struck with his first, third and fifth balls in the over, and suddenly, PNG went from still looking like putting up a reasonable score to battling to avoid being all out early.Jatinder tees off
In the defence of a sub-par total on a good batting deck, PNG needed discipline from their bowlers. However, almost every over had a loose delivery, and Jatinder ensured he cashed in on practically each one. If offered width he stroked and cut through the offside, and if the bowlers dropped short, he pummelled them in the arc between square leg and long-on.The powerplay brought 46 runs for Oman and the match as a contest was quickly dwindling. Initially, both Jatinder and Ilyas kept the same pace, unhurried because of the target but brisk nonetheless. Gradually, the tempo shifted to Jatinder pulling out the big hits, middling the ball beautifully, while Ilyas slipped into the supporting role. Jatinder reached fifty in 33 balls, in the middle of a whopping 17-run over against Damien Ravu which lasted nine balls.Ilyas eventually got to the landmark too, taking 43 balls, and one delivery later, Jatinder had finished things off with fourth six.

Bayern Munich stalet Mathys Tel has made a dramatic deadline day decision to join Tottenham Hotspur, days after rejecting the North London side.

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Tel rejected Tottenham move last weekWaited for Man Utd to make moveSet to join Spurs after Man Utd pull outFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Bayern Munich's Tel rejected Tottenham Hotspur after the Lilywhites came to a transfer fee agreement of €60 million (£50m) with the Bavarians as the 19-year-old preferred a move elsewhere with Manchester United also interested. However, after the Red Devils decided to pull out of the race for the striker, Tel has now decided to join Ange Postecoglou's side in a loan deal until the end of the season as per Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg. The deal will not include a buy option for the Lilywhites.

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Despite the deal having seemed to be history, Tottenham are now set to receive Tel albeit on loan for the rest of the season. The deal going through will have produced a sigh of relief from Spurs fans and boss Ange Postecoglou as the under-fire boss has been struggling with a lack of squad options amid a number of injuries at the club.

DID YOU KNOW?

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano also revealed that Tel and his agent Gadiri Camara are flying to London from Munich at the moment to travel to Tottenham Hotspur's headquarters to sign the loan deal with the Lilywhite.

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WHAT NEXT FOR TEL?

In terms of his future beyond this season, the situation still remains the same as the Bayern Munich star wants to succeed with the Bavarians. Regardless, Spurs will be looking to make the most of the loan deal and it is possible that the 19-year-old could make his Tottenham debut against Liverpool in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup on Thursday, February 6.

Conceived in 1956 by sports writers Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran, the Ballon d’Or is widely considered to be football’s most esteemed individual prize.

Designed to honour the world’s (formerly Europe’s) best player over the previous season, some of the game’s greatest stars have laid their hands on the prize, including Lionel Messi, who has won it a record eight times.

We’ve put together a starting XI of what we believe to be the best-ever Ballon d’Or winners.

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1 ByLuke Randall Sep 4, 2024 1 Lev Yashin Goalkeeper (1963 winner)

Lev Yashin is the only goalkeeper to have ever won the Ballon d’Or, having scooped the award in 1963.

Nicknamed the “Black Spider” because of his trademark all-black outfit and how it seemed he had eight arms to save everything, Yashin revolutionised the goalkeeper position.

At a time when the job of the goalkeeper was merely to stand between the posts and save shots, he was known for coming off his line to catch crosses, running out of his goal to meet oncoming attackers, and shouting orders at his defenders.

2 Fabio Cannavaro Centre-back (2006 winner)

Since the turn of the century, just one defender has won the Ballon d’Or. That man is Fabio Cannavaro, who was handed the prize shortly after he captained Italy to World Cup glory in 2006.

Despite his relatively short stature (he is just 5ft 9), Cannavaro was a commanding force in the heart of defence, boasting superb tackling skills, frightening pace, and surprising strength thanks to his low centre of gravity. More than that, however, he was ahead of his time.

The Italian read the game superbly and was renowned for carrying the ball out from the back to launch attacks. Both of those qualities are now widely considered must-haves for modern centre-backs.

3 Franz Beckenbauer Centre-back (1972, 1976 winner)

Described by Pele (who never won the Ballon d’Or due to it originally being only for European players) as “one of the best” he ever saw play, Frankz Beckenbauer was the complete player.

Often credited with inventing the role of the modern sweeper, not only was he effective at stopping forwards in their tracks, but he was also equally effective in midfield and attack, capable of pulling the strings from the middle of the park and finding the net, as demonstrated by his impressive career goals haul.

A Germany and Bayern Munich legend, Beckenbauer won almost everything on offer during his career, including the World Cup, European Championship, European Cup and Bundesliga to go with two Ballon d’Or crowns, first in 1972 before repeating the feat in 1976.

4 Matthias Sammer Centre-back (1996 winner)

Matthias Sammer started his career as a midfielder, and though he enjoyed reasonable success in the middle of the park, he really came into his own when he was converted to a defender in 1994 by Borussia Dortmund coach Ottmar Hitzfeld.

Following the shift, Sammer won back-to-back Bundesliga titles with Dortmund in 1995 and 1996, before then captaining Die Schwarzgelben to their first Champions League in 1997. On top of those domestic achievements, Sammer also won the European Championship with Germany in 1996 and the Ballon d’Or the same year.

Sadly, soon after he guided Dortmund to European glory, his career was cut short by injury and was forced to retire in 1998. Still, his Di Maggio-like streak in the years prior remains among the greatest in football history.

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ByStephan Georgiou Jul 16, 2024 5 Cristiano Ronaldo Right-midfield (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 winner)

Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or no less than five times, first in 2008 and most recently in 2017.

Now approaching 40 and still going strong in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr, the Portuguese winger is the greatest goalscorer in football history. As of October 2024, in just over 1,200 professional games for club and country, Ronaldo has scored an eye-watering 907 goals, 450 of which came during his nine-year spell at Real Madrid between 2009 and 2018.

Whether scoring with his head, right foot or left foot, nobody has ever been as good at finding the net than Ronaldo. Unless it’s from a free-kick, perhaps.

6 Zinedine Zidane Centre-midfield (1998 winner)

Zinedine Zidane won the Ballon d’Or in 1998, shortly after he lifted the World Cup with France.

A truly one-of-a-kind midfielder, Zidane was an oxymoron of a footballer. Somehow, he was both energetic and languid in equal measure. He was powerful yet graceful, dynamic but nonchalant.

He also possessed an almost supernatural ability to retain the ball, buying himself space that appeared not to be there thanks to his superb first touch and incredible foreshadowing of his opponents’ and teammates’ next moves.

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ByStephan Georgiou Mar 16, 2024 7 Michel Platini Centre-midfield (1983, 1984, 1985 winner)

To the younger generation, Michel Platini is probably best known for being the disgraced former president of UEFA who was banned from football in 2015 for accepting an improper payment from ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

To older supporters, however, the Frenchman is best remembered as one of the finest players of his generation.

An elegant and intelligent midfield playmaker, Platini operated mostly in the pocket behind the strikers, finding space where he used to carve out chances for those in front of him and find the net himself – something he did 354 times during his career.

Like Zidane, he also possessed an innate ability to see what was going to happen before it played out, meaning he was always one (or sometimes two or three) steps ahead of those around him.

Platini was the first player to win the Ballon d’Or three times in a row, scooping the award in 1983, 1984, and 1985.

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ByBrogan Clasper Jun 11, 2024 8 Lionel Messi Left-midfield (2009-2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023 winner)

Simply the greatest to ever play the game, no player has won the Ballon d’Or more times than Lionel Messi, who has been named the world’s top footballer on eight different occasions.

At this point, so much has been said about the Argentinian, that it’s difficult to find new words to describe how brilliant he was, and in many respects, still is. So, instead, we will let the former Newcastle United player turned legendary pundit Ray Hudson do the talking.

“They tell me that all men are equal in God’s eyes, this player makes you seriously think about those words,” Hudson once said of Messi.

9 Ronaldinho Attacking midfield (2005 winner)

Messi is no doubt the greatest to ever play football, but arguably few players have ever made watching the sport more enjoyable than Ronaldinho, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2005.

Boasting a bag of tricks bigger than Santa Claus’ sack, the Brazilian played football not as if he was playing in front of thousands each week, but as if he was still playing futsal on the beaches of Porto Alegre, free to express himself fully without fear.

Many players today and in the past have faced criticism for playing in such a way, being berated by managers and fans alike for not conforming to the rigours of the professional game and putting themselves ahead of the needs of the team. Not Ronaldinho, though. He did it with such excellence and with a huge smile on his face that it was almost impossible to criticise him, let alone dislike him.

Genius needs freedom to flourish, and Ronaldinho was just that: a genius.

10 Ronaldo Centre-forward (1997, 2002 winner)

There is a reason Ronaldo Nazario was nicknamed “O Fenomeno” (The Phenomenon).

Ronaldo, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1997 and 2002, possessed every attribute you could dream of in a striker: pace, power, skill, awareness, and a lethal eye for goal.

During his heyday, his name alone struck fear into the hearts of opposition defenders, who knew that one minor lapse in concentration was all it took for them to be punished by the Brazilian – and even that wasn’t required most of the time. Thanks to his dazzling feet and bullish strength, Ronaldo had the tools to unlock any defence at will.

However, what’s most telling about Ronaldo is how highly he is regarded by his footballing peers, especially given that his career – during which he scored 414 goals for club and country – was hampered by injuries.

“The best player I have ever played with? That’s Ronaldo. I have seen Il Fenomeno do things that nobody else has ever done,” Ronaldo’s former Brazil teammate Kaka once said of him. “The speed of thought that he had – and the speed he had to carry out his actions – were perfect. It was something amazing. I’ve thought a lot about other players before. I think he was a phenomenon.”