{
  "id": 16191765,
  "title": "From Salah to Drogba: Football stars who never reached Ballon d’Or top three",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/from-salah-to-drogba-football-stars-who-never-reached-ballon-dor-top-16191765",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-23T14:12:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/from-salah-to-drogba-football-stars-who-never-reached-ballon-dor-top-three/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Several football icons, despite their stellar careers and numerous trophies, never made it into the top three of the Ballon d'Or rankings. Among these notable omissions are Mohamed Salah, Luis Suárez, Didier Drogba, Gareth Bale, Francesco Totti, Roy Keane, and George Weah. Despite their individual brilliance and team success, these players were unable to secure a podium finish, reflecting the intense competition for football's most prestigious individual accolade.",
  "summary": "Discover top football stars like Mohamed Salah, Didier Drogba, and Luis Suárez who never finished in the Ballon d’Or top three despite their success. Read More: https://punchng.com/from-salah-to-drogba-football-stars-who-never-reached-ballon-dor-top-three/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}