Can you name every player to make the Ballon d’Or podium in Messi’s eight wins?

Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or a record eight times – but can you name every player to share the podium with the era-defining Argentinian?

Over the years, he’s beaten both team-mates and rivals to the most prestigious individual accolade in football. There are some legendary players who missed out on France Football’s golden ball due to being overshadowed by arguably the greatest player ever to do it.

“I have said it many times, the Ballon d’Or is very important due to the recognition at an individual level, but I never gave it importance,” Messi said earlier this year.

“The most important thing for me was always the awards at the group level. I was lucky to have achieved everything in my career and after the World Cup, I’m thinking about that award much less, my biggest award was that (the World Cup).”

We’re asking you to name the players who finished second and third in each of Messi’s eight Ballon d’Or-winning years. One name in particular will take you far, and there are nine different names in total to make up the overall total of 16. We’ve given you the clubs they represented at the time as your clues – so full marks is definitely achievable.

If you find this one a bit too easy, why not try naming Barcelona’s XI from Messi’s league debut in 2004?

If you haven’t already, sign up for a Planet Sport account to access hints for those tricky answers and to register your score on the leaderboard.

Good luck and don’t forget to tweet us your scores @planetfutebol.

NEXT QUIZ: Can you name every trophy that Lionel Messi has won in his career?