7 legendary Ballon d’Or winners and where they are now – from Ronaldinho to Weah
The winner of the 2022 Ballon d'Or award will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on Monday night.
Tonight's awards show represents the first time the trophy will be handed out based on performances in a season rather than in a calendar year. Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema is the favourite to win the award, with seven-time winner Lionel Messi absent from the shortlist of nominees for the first time since 2005.
Benzema would follow in the footsteps of legendary former winners Ronaldinho, George Weah and Fabio Cannavaro, but where exactly are those past greats now?
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Ronaldinho
Having won the 2005 edition of the Ballon d'Or, Ronaldinho followed up the success the following year by winning the Champions League with Barcelona.
After leaving European football in 2011, Ronaldinho had spells in Brazil and Mexico before hanging up his boots for good in 2018 after going three years without a club.
He has since remained a huge commercial draw off the pitch, regularly appearing in adverts. Fans also often catch the World Cup winner in charity matches around the world.
Fabio Cannavaro
A year after Ronaldinho picked up the award, Cannavaro was honoured off the back of captaining Italy to World Cup glory.
The defender went on to play for six more years before retiring in 2012 at the age of 40. He has since transitioned into management, beginning his coaching career in the United Arab Emirates.
Following spells in China and Saudi Arabia, he is currently managing Benevento in Serie B after being appointed on a two-year contract last month.
George Weah
Weah played for some of European football's biggest clubs during his career, including stints with Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and AC Milan.
He became the first and only African player to win the Ballon d'Or in 1995 before ultimately retiring in 2003. Following a brief spell in management, Weah transitioned into politics.
After serving as a senator in his native Liberia between 2015 and 2018, Weah was elected president of the country in 2017, assuming office the following year, and remains in the role to this day.
Pavel Nedved
Former Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved wowed fans during his 13 years in Italy with Lazio and Juventus, which saw him win the Ballon d'Or in 2003.
Having retired in 2009, he became a member on the board at Juventus a year later, a role he would hold until 2015. He has spent the last seven years working as the club's vice-president.
Rivaldo
Former Brazilian journeyman Rivaldo won football's biggest individual award in 1999 after a fine year for Barcelona.
After spells in Greece, Brazil, Angola and Uzbekistan, Rivaldo retired from professional football in 2015 at the age of 43, more than two decades after he had made his senior debut.
Like Ronaldinho, Rivaldo remains a regular fixture of charity matches having also worked on the board of former club Mogi Mirim after hanging up his boots.
Hristo Stoichkov
Winner of the Ballon d'Or in 1994, Bulgarian icon Hristo Stoichkov left Barcelona for Parma the year after winning the award.
Having later returned to the Nou Camp, Stoichkov went on to play in Saudi Arabia, Japan, the USA and his native Bulgaria before retiring in 2003.
Having previously managed clubs in Spain, South Africa and Bulgaria, he has been the owner of CSKA Sofia since 2013, as well as previously being both the club's manager and president.
Marco van Basten
AC Milan and Ajax legend Marco van Basten won the Ballon d'Or on three occasions during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with only Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo winning the award more times.
Having retired in 1995, Van Basten went on to manage the Dutch national team as well as Ajax, Heerenveen and AZ Alkmaar. He has also held a number of assistant managerial roles in recent years.
Now a pundit in his native Netherlands, Van Basten also worked as a technical director for FIFA for two years between 2016 and 2018.
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