This year’s Ballon d’Or winner will be announced later today, with Real Madrid players Antonio Rudiger, Dani Carvajal, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr are all nominated. Former Los Blancos midfielder Toni Kroos is also in the running for the award.

Over the years, many Real Madrid legends have won this prestigious award, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Luis Figo. However, many Los Blancos stars have never won the Ballon d’Or, despite their significant achievements on the pitch for the club.

Let’s take a look at the players who almost won this honor.

Spanish striker Emilion Butragueno, nicknamed The Vulture, played for Los Blancos’ first team between 1984 and 1995.

While playing for Real Madrid, he scored 123 times in 341 appearances. He also won numerous trophies, including La Liga five times and the UEFA Cup (now the Europa League) twice.

After some outstanding performances, Butragueno came in third place for the Ballon d’Or in 1986 and 1987, narrowly missing out on first place several years in a row.

Yugoslavia-born Predrag Mijatovic enjoyed three successful years with Real Madrid between 1996 and 1999, scoring 38 times in 90 games and winning La Liga, the UEFA Champions League, the Spanish Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.

In 1997, Mijatovic achieved a career highlight when he became a finalist in the Ballon d’Or award ceremony, losing to Inter Milan’s Ronaldo, who would later sign with Los Blancos. This would be the only time he came close to winning the prestigious award.

Amancio had a long stay at Real Madrid, playing for the club between 1962 and 1976. While playing for Los Blancos, the La Coruna-born striker won nine La Liga titles, one European Cup and three Copa del Reys.

Two years after joining Real Madrid, Amancio was nominated for the Ballon d’Or and achieved third place. He missed out on the top prize to Manchester United’s Denis Law.

Real Madrid signed Davor Suker from Sevilla in 1996. Two years later, the striker was nominated for the Ballon d’Or, finishing second behind Zinedine Zidane, who would later join the Santiago Bernabeu.

Suker made an immediate impact at Los Blancos, scoring 24 goals in 38 games in his first season. In the following campaign, he scored 10 times in 29 appearances. Despite his form, it was not enough to secure the Ballon d’Or for French midfielder Zidane.

Between 1996 and 2007, Brazilian Roberto Carlos, considered one of the greatest left-backs in history, dazzled Real Madrid fans with his energetic performances and exceptional talent.

After an incredible campaign, Carlos was named a finalist for the Ballon d’Or in 2002, behind his Los Blancos teammate Ronaldo. Despite his spectacular success on the field, this would be the only time he placed in the top three at the awards ceremony.

What an incredible journey Raul has had with Real Madrid. The Spanish striker joined Los Blancos as a youth player in 1994 and made 550 appearances for the club before leaving the Santiago Bernabeu in 2010.

The prolific goalscorer, who scored 228 times during his time at the club, is considered one of Real Madrid’s greatest strikers.

In 2001, Raul was a finalist for the Ballon d’Or. Much like Carlos, this would be the only time he was named in the top three.

From 1958 to 1966, Hungarian international Ferenc Puskas scored 156 times in his 180 games for Real Madrid, a remarkable feat.

During his time with the club, Puskas won a plethora of trophies, including La Liga five times and the European Cup (now the UEFA Champions League) three times. He notably scored four goals in the 1960 Champions League final.

Despite his exploits, the Hungarian striker never received the Ballon d’Or. He came close in 1960, but was beaten by Barcelona’s Luis Suarez, widely considered one of the greatest footballers in the history of Spanish football.

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