Quiz! Can you name every player since 2008 with just ONE Ballon d'Or nomination?

Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Celta Vigo and Real Madrid CF at Estadio Balaidos on August 25, 2023 in Vigo, Spain.
(Image credit: Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

12 minutes on the clock, 73 players to guess.

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THEN TRY Quiz! Can you name every Ballon d'Or 2023 nominee?

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2008 was the year that the Ballon d'Or changed forever. It was to be the first of many years in which the prize would either be won by a player called Messi or a player called Ronaldo.

It took Luka Modric in 2018 to break the duopoly. And since the first BDO win from either so-called GOAT, 10 years prior to Modric's win, there have been a fair few footballers who have only received one nomination. 73, to be precise.

You can trace the achievements of the players in today's quiz from their club and/or nationality. There's a Leicester City player from 2016's Premier League win, for example. A few of Ajax's stars from their 2018/19 Champions League run. Even some Italians who won the Euros in 2021.

In the eyes of France Football, some of these were the lads who were one-hit wonders: holders of a glorious 12 months and nothing more. Messi and Ronaldo needn't have watched the throne with a few. Others are burgeoning stars who have just got going… 

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Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.