Thierry Henry believes it's a 'shame' the England legend never won the Ballon d'Or

Thierry Henry believes it was a 'shame' that one of the greatest midfielders of all time failed to win the Ballon d'Or in 2005.

Almost a decade ago, Brazilian striker Ronaldinho won the Ballon d'Or, then known as the 'European Footballer of the Year', after a fantastic year for club and country.

After leading Barcelona to the Spanish league title, not to mention his contribution to Brazil's qualification for the World Cup, Ronaldinho became the third Brazilian to win the award, after he received 25 points.

But the result was a huge surprise for former Arsenal striker Henry, who believes Steven Gerrard should have won the Ballon d'Or in 2005 after winning the Champions League with Liverpool.

"It was a shame he didn't win the 'European Footballer of the Year' award after the final in Istanbul in 2005."

"For me, he will go down as one of the best midfielders of all time," Henry said.

Frank Lampard (Chelsea) finished second in the competition with 148 points, while Steven Gerrard (145 points), Thierry Henry (41 points) and Andriy Shevchenko (33 points) completed the top five.Telegraph/