A claim to fame only Manchester United have amongst elite clubs.

Fortitude

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Three ballon d’Or winners active and featuring in the same team at the same time.

Will it ever be matched, let alone bettered?
 

Scandi Red

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Real Madrid or some Saudi team can do it.
I reckon they will play a front 4 with Vini, Haaland, Mbappe and Bellingham a few years from now. Bastards!

Not that it's going to matter, because Højlund will win all upcoming Ballon d'Ors!
 

Rood

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The Barca trio of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta came 1st, 2nd & 3rd one year - probably the closest thing but not as unique
 

Snow

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The Barca trio of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta came 1st, 2nd & 3rd one year - probably the closest thing but not as unique
Isn't it literally as unique if it has ever happened before or after?

Getting 1st and and 3rd is arguably as good.
 

Taribo's Gap

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The Barca trio of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta came 1st, 2nd & 3rd one year - probably the closest thing but not as unique
You also have Real Madrid 2009-2010, with Ronaldo and Kaka. Only one BdO'r place off with the old Raul in the squad.
 

the_cliff

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Madrid had Benzema Modric and Ronaldo all win the balon Do'r. Although Ronaldo had left the team by the time Modric and Benzema won.

In fact in the 12-13 season Madrid had 4 current/future balon do'r winners in the same team with Kaka, Ronaldo, Modric and Benzema.
 

Rood

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Isn't it literally as unique if it has ever happened before or after?

Getting 1st and and 3rd is arguably as good.
No - Milan did it with Van Basten, Gullit, Rijkaard

And 2 of them were winners so not far off
 

Oranges038

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Probably not all winners for the club they played for.

Milan had 3 winners out of 4 years on the pitch at one time? Gullit, van Basten & Papin. Plus also having the top 3 at the same time in the late 80s.

Then they also had Shevchenko, Ronaldinho & Kaka on the same team.
 

stevoc

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Who cares about the Ballon D'or it's nothing more than a trumped up popularity contest these days. A guy who isn't European and only played half the year in Europe (and was just ok). Playing the second half in the fecking MLS. Won European player of the year because he won a World Cup in the middle east.
 

Taribo's Gap

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Who cares about the Ballon D'or it's nothing more than a trumped up popularity contest these days. A guy who isn't European and only played half the year in Europe (and was just ok). Playing the second half in the fecking MLS. Won European player of the year because he won a World Cup in the middle east.
It's not a European Player of the Year award.
 

stevoc

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It's not a European Player of the Year award.
Has it not ended it's association with FIFA?

The Ballon D'or has always been the European player of the year award, up until it's merged with the FIFA award. Now they've separated I assume it's back to the former.
 

amolbhatia50k

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I reckon they will play a front 4 with Vini, Haaland, Mbappe and Bellingham a few years from now. Bastards!

Not that it's going to matter, because Højlund will win all upcoming Ballon d'Ors!
Mbappe will win more than him.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Who cares about the Ballon D'or it's nothing more than a trumped up popularity contest these days. A guy who isn't European and only played half the year in Europe (and was just ok). Playing the second half in the fecking MLS. Won European player of the year because he won a World Cup in the middle east.
:lol:
 

Taribo's Gap

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Has it not ended it's association with FIFA?

The Ballon D'or has always been the European player of the year award, up until it's merged with the FIFA award. Now they've separated I assume it's back to the former.
In 1995, it was opened to all players playing in Europe regardless of national origin. In 2007, it was opened to all players in the world, regardless of where they play, but still retained (and does to this day) a strong association with European Leagues, given the history of the award. From 2010 to 2015 it was merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year Award. The criteria never reverted even after that association ended. If you look at the 2019 Ballon D'or Feminin, the winner and third-place were Americans that played in America.
 

Red the Bear

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Could see Madrid pulling it off if say Bellingham, Mbappe and someone else win the thing in the foreseeable future.

And yeah it will probably be matched one day as all records do.
 

Red the Bear

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I reckon they will play a front 4 with Vini, Haaland, Mbappe and Bellingham a few years from now. Bastards!

Not that it's going to matter, because Højlund will win all upcoming Ballon d'Ors!
That would be a disaster.
 

Florida Man

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Who cares about the Ballon D'or it's nothing more than a trumped up popularity contest these days. A guy who isn't European and only played half the year in Europe (and was just ok). Playing the second half in the fecking MLS. Won European player of the year because he won a World Cup in the middle east.
Argentinians are basically Europeans. According to other South Americans.
 

elmo

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AKA: Slapanut Goat Smuggla
Three ballon d’Or winners active and featuring in the same team at the same time.

Will it ever be matched, let alone bettered?
We also usually have our highest paid player usually being our most unreliable player for the past 5 years at the very least.

Doubt any club can top that too.
 

RedRonaldo

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True but none of them won for their time at Madrid. They were all winners that Real bought.
Technically speaking R9 won it during end of year in 2002, where he had already spent half season at Real Madrid.
 

RedRonaldo

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I reckon they will play a front 4 with Vini, Haaland, Mbappe and Bellingham a few years from now. Bastards!

Not that it's going to matter, because Højlund will win all upcoming Ballon d'Ors!
Because City has bought Hojlund as replacement for Haaland?
 

stevoc

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In 1995, it was opened to all players playing in Europe regardless of national origin. In 2007, it was opened to all players in the world, regardless of where they play, but still retained (and does to this day) a strong association with European Leagues, given the history of the award. From 2010 to 2015 it was merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year Award. The criteria never reverted even after that association ended. If you look at the 2019 Ballon D'or Feminin, the winner and third-place were Americans that played in America.
I was aware of that bit but still assumed you had to be playing in Europe to win it (apart from the FIFA merge).

Ok fair enough, it really should be just for players playing in Europe though. Becuase it's highly unlikely anyone playing outside Europe will ever win it, in the foreseeable future anyway.
 

Yagami

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All three won it here. Two being from our youth team.

Recently, I've been watching more Law as he was the player I was least familiar with out of the three. Like Charlton, his all round game is very underrated. You just think of the goals but there's so much more to them. What a player Law was. So much more than your typical goalscoring forward.

Also: