Do you know two players who never made the top 3 of the Balon Dor rankings?

Pele + Maradona were both considered the best players who ever played the game for near a century combined, and neither even placed in the top three, for a good reason. The award was only for UEFA players. Here is the problem with all awards, their rules are by default dysfunctional. It is sad that so many fans today use awards in a modern form to rank above players who didn't even have the same rules for the award.

Why do people mention winning the balon dor as some sort of magic or significant?

GOAT nonsense. I wish the Ballon Dor go back to uefa players only