The golden ball is considered the highest award a player can get during his career. Whoever wins it becomes part of a small group of players, considered the best in the world. However, there are also very important players who do not have this award in their showcase.
They are the stars of the ball that, for one reason or another, have not been given recognition with this trophy. And among them are some of the best Spanish players in history. It is about them that we want to talk about in this article.
Xavi Hernandez
Formed in the Barça quarry, Xavi is part of the Spanish football legend, being one of the players who have given the fans the most joy. UEFA named him the best Eurocup player of 2008, who won Spain, and two years later FIFA chose him as part of the ideal team of the World Cup in South Africa, which also won Spain. But during his 17 years in top-level football, he did not receive any gold ball [source]
Andres Iniesta
Xavi’s partner in Barcelona and in the national team, will be remembered for scoring the goal that the World Cup in South Africa gave Spain, after 116 minutes of play. He has been nominated for the golden ball on many occasions and once he was about to get it, because in 2010 he was second.
Raul Gonzalez
Many Real Madrid players still do not understand how Raul does not have any gold ball, when he is one of the best strikers that have existed. The fact is that, despite all the titles he has won and delighting everyone with his game, he is part of the list of stars who stayed behind him to get it.
Andrea Pirlo
Another world champion who failed the golden ball, in this case with the Italian national team. For his vision of the game and the control of the ball, among other qualities, he is considered one of the best midfielders that football has given.
Paolo Maldini
Son of also the footballer Cesare Maldini, he was one of the best defenses in the history of football. It has an enviable list of titles, but it seems that they were not enough to take the ball home.
Francesco Totti
We continue with Italians, in this case, a striker. Like the previous two, he was part of the world champion team, becoming second as a candidate for the golden ball. He is the player who has scored the most goals with Roma. The team he has been in for a lifetime.
Paco Gento
Gento could have been part of the best soccer lineup in history without problems. In fact, he is the only player who has won the European Cup 6 times, a world record. In addition to 12 Spanish leagues, which nobody has achieved either. It is considered the fastest end ever played on a football field.
Puskas
UEFA and FIFA have included it in the list of the best in history and played with two national teams, Hungary and Spain. The strength of his shots against the left and the goals he scored made him the greatest scorer of the twentieth century and one of the best of all time.
Gianluigi Buffon
We started with the goalkeepers with another Italian world champion. He has been named best goalkeeper in the world 4 times and came to the silver ball, but the golden one escaped him, like the next goalkeeper we are going to talk about.
Iker Casillas
Little more can we say about Casillas that we have not already said in any of the articles in which we have mentioned him. One of the best goalkeepers in history, who has received recognition from amateurs, coaches and fellow professionals. The two European Cups and the World Cup that Spain won certify that with the glow sticks, the goal is a real strength. He has been a candidate for the golden ball for 6 years in a row, but on no occasion have they been given it.
Franco Baresi
Live football legend for Milan fans, he won the 82nd World Cup in Italy, held in Spain. Interestingly, his brother Giuseppe is also a football legend, although for the followers of the maximum rival, since he played at Inter. Franco is the second player with the most games in the club’s history, in addition to highlighting because he won almost everything with his team. On an individual level, it is part of many lists in which the best players in history are named.
All these players have gone down in history on their own merits, despite the fact that the golden ball has not been one of the awards they achieved.
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