10 Players You Forgot Were Nominated For Ballon d'Or

2. Geremi (Real Madrid) - 2000

Geremi has always been something of a bit-part player whenever he has played at one of the supposed €˜big€™ clubs. At Real Madrid, his appearances for the club dropped dramatically with each passing season, while the trend continued at Stamford Bridge as Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich flooded the club with more oil money. However, in the winter of 2000, the Cameroonian midfielder found his way onto the Ballon d€™Or shortlist. It had been quite a successful year for him, having captained his country to Olympic Gold in Sydney, as well as picking up a winning African Cup of Nations medal. At club level, he also helped Los Blancos to the Champions League final, although he failed to make it off the bench as Real Madrid crushed Valencia 3-0 to win their eighth European Cup. The Cameroonian challenged Luis Figo for the Ballon d€™Or crown just as tamely as he had for his starting position at the club, receiving zero votes as opposed to the Portuguese superstar€™s 197. ''I was on loan at Middlesbrough but I enjoyed my spell there. Of course I have to go back to Real Madrid, but they know what I think. If they want me back, I have to play regular first team football. My decision to leave them was because I would not play enough and nothing has changed since then. If I was given a chance to stay at Boro, why not?'' - Geremi, July 2002.