Onze d'Or

Five Real Madrid players nominated for the award

Real Madrid have the largest number of candidates for the Onze d'Or out of all the teams in the Spanish League. The award is handed out by French magazine Onze Mondial to the best European player of the past season. Platini and Maradona won the award back in their day.

Last season's good results have put five Madridistas in the nominee list of the prestigious Onze d'Or, award handed out by French magazine Onze Mondial magazine every year.
Sergio Ramos as right back, Pepe as centre back, Gabriel Heinze as left back, Mahamadou Diarra as midfielder, and Ruud Van Nistelrooy as striker have chances of winning the accolade.

The Onze d'Or was created in 1976, making it one of the oldest awards in the football world. It is awarded to the best player in European football, regardless of his nationality, by the magazine's readers.

The first man to win it was Dutch player Robert Rensenbrink, who played for Anderlecht in 1976. Other legendary players went on to win it after him: Kevin Keagan, Mario Alberto Kempes, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Michel Platini, Diego Armando Maradona, Marco Van Basten…

Former Real Madrid players Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo won the award in 2001 and 2002, respectively, before they joined the Club. Five other Madridistas now have the chance of winning it this time around.

Report by Carlos Cristóbal
Photography by David R. Anchuelo
Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell