The Ballon d’Or represents the peak of individual achievement in football, bestowing upon winners the validation that Planet Earth cannot, at that moment, locate a better player than them. They aren’t doled out for fun.
Hence, as we celebrate the first 200 continental fixtures to be held at Old Trafford, with FC Twente’s visit ringing up 201 this Wednesday, it became a telling metric to tot up how many of the award’s winners have graced the Theatre of Dreams on those famous European nights.
Since the award was created by France Football in 1956, 45 different players have won it.