By Jamie Spencer The Ballon d’Or has become known as the most prestigious individual prize in football, bestowing the title of the best footballer in the world on its winner each year. It started out in 1956 as a way of recognising the best Europe had to offer – it was actually known as the European Footballer of Year for decades. It wasn’t until 1995 that non-European players, although still those based at European clubs, were eligible to win, while only in 2007 did it go truly global. Generations of non-European players were not considered under the criteria, with many deserving winners at o…