Antonio Conte never troubled the individual awards during his playing days but he possessed a winner’s mentality like few others. “There is no young and old,” he once opined, “only victory or failure.”
The prestigious Ballon d’Or, handed out by France Football since 1956, ignores age all the same. Players have been voted the greatest across the globe in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
Here are the select individuals that have been able to supercede their peers even after passing their supposed peaks.
Age at final Ballon d’Or: 31
Winning years: 2003
The greatest year in the career of the ‘Czech Fury’ is often remembered as a snub of Thierry Henry but Pavel Nedved almost single-handedly hauled Juventus to the Champions League final in 2003.
Zinedine Zidane’s replacement in Turin swung the decisive second legs of the quarter- and semi-finals before picking up a suspension which ruled him out of the showpiece. In Nedved’s absence, Juventus lost a dreadful final to AC Milan on penalties.
Age at final Ballon d’Or: 31
Winning years: 1962
As Josef Masopust celebrated his opening goal in the 1962 World Cup final for Czechoslovakia against Brazil, his mind may have skipped ahead to that evening’s celebrations. It was his wife’s birthday and a joint party had been loosely sketched out.
Yet, long before any candles were lit, Brazil blew out Czechoslovakia’s lead. Despite a subdued display from the tournament’s star Garrincha – who was suffering from a fever – Brazil ran out as 3-1 victors. In place of the World Cup, Masopust could at least offer his wife the Ballon d’Or as a belated birthday gift.
Age at final Ballon d’Or: 32
Winning years: 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017
Cristiano Ronaldo’s maniacal dedication to his physical shape has helped extend his peak well beyond the span of a normal athlete. Since turning 30, he has plundered 75 goals for Portugal – for comparison, Harry Kane is England’s all-time leading scorer with 61.
However, Ronaldo has only been able to win the Ballon d’Or twice after hitting the big three-oh. Much to his chagrin.
Age at final Ballon d’Or: 33
Winning years: 2006
Fabio Cannavaro had a simple regime to maintain his elite level so late into his career. “Eating well, getting plenty of sleep and having sex – these are all important things.” Noted.
Age at final Ballon d’Or: 33
Winning years: 2018
Five short years before he broke Ronaldo and Lionel Messi‘s stranglehold of the award in 2018, Luka Modric was given a slightly less prestigious individual honour.
Midway through his debut campaign at Real Madrid, a poll in the Spanish publication Marca dubbed Modric and Barcelona’s Alex Song as the worst signings in La Liga. Half of that award did not age well.
Age at final Ballon d’Or: 33
Winning years: 1957, 1959
“Whatever people have told you about Alfredo Di Stefano,” Juan Santisteban told Sid Lowe in Fear and Loathing in La Liga, “ignore it. It is not enough. However good they say he was, he was better.”
The figurehead of Real Madrid’s legendary team that scooped the first five European Cups at the end of the 1950s was rated even higher than Pele by his Brazilian teammate Canario. “They were the best. But Alfredo was more complete. He was the number one.”
Today, Lev Yashin would have turned 94.
One of the all-time goalkeeping greats. 🕷️🧤 pic.twitter.com/BGKeollg9h
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) October 22, 2023
Age at final Ballon d’Or: 34
Winning years: 1963
The only goalkeeper to ever win the Ballon d’Or claimed the gong after enduring fierce criticism for his role in the Soviet Union’s premature exit from the 1962 World Cup.
Yashin had led Dynamo Moscow to their first league title in four years but the honour was more likely in recognition of his entire career, which supposedly included more than 100 penalty saves.
Nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or @Benzema @ittihad_en @equipedefrance #ballondor pic.twitter.com/zo74qCgUwH
— Ballon d’Or #ballondor (@ballondor) September 6, 2023
Age at final Ballon d’Or: 35
Winning years: 2022
Karim Benzema may be one of the oldest Ballon d’Or winners ever but to achieve all of your life goals at 35 years young is mightily impressive.
Lifting the Ballon d’Or – made even sweeter as Zinedine Zidane, his idol, handed him the award – was the final tick on a list which also included buying his mother a house and joining Real Madrid.
LIONEL MESSI IS THE 2023 MEN’S BALLON D’OR!
Eight Ballon d’Or for Argentina hero! 🖐🤟#ballondor pic.twitter.com/1slOJ6EoKj
— Ballon d’Or #ballondor (@ballondor) October 30, 2023
Age at final Ballon d’Or: 36
Winning years: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023
At 35, after finishing his debut season at Paris Saint-Germain with six Ligue 1 goals – fewer than 43 players in the French top flight – Messi didn’t even make the shortlist for the 2022 Ballon d’Or.
One year later, he led Argentina to World Cup glory and claimed a record-extending eighth golden orb.
Age at final Ballon d’Or: 41
Winning years: 1956
A yawning 24 years after he made his professional debut, Stanley Matthews won the inaugural Ballon d’Or.
The ultimate tricky winger felt compelled to extend his playing career until he was 50 after being robbed of his prime years by World War II.
READ MORE ON THE 2023 BALLON D’OR NOMINATIONS AND PREDICTED RANKINGS
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