Pelé and Diego Maradona, widely considered two of football's greatest, never officially won the Ballon d'Or during their careers due to historical eligibility rules. From 1956 to 1994, the award, created by France Football, was exclusively for European nationals. This rule excluded Brazilian legend Pelé, who played for Santos and New York Cosmos, and Argentinian maestro Maradona, despite his stints with European clubs like Barcelona, Napoli, and Sevilla. For instance, in 1986, while Maradona delivered a legendary World Cup performance, Igor Belanov of Dynamo Kyiv won the award. The rules evolved in 1995, opening to non-Europeans playing in Europe, and fully globalized in 2007. Both Pelé and Maradona later received honorary Ballon d'Ors. A retrospective exercise by France Football hypothetically awarded Pelé seven and Maradona two Ballon d'Ors, though these do not alter the official historical record.