Every Ballon d’Or winner from England

England may be the birthplace of football as we know it but that is no guarantee of success when it comes to the game’s most prestigious individual prize.

The Ballon d’Or was conjured up in 1956 and has been won by a host of different superstars throughout the years. From Liberia to Bulgaria to Northern Ireland, the fabled golden ball has traversed the globe.

While England are far from the most decorated nation in Ballon d’Or history, there have been several past victors from old blighty – even if it has been quite some time since an Englishman has got his hands on the title.

You can count on one hand the amount of different Ballon d’Or victors who hail from England but the Three Lions do lay claim to the first ever winner. That was Blackpool’s (yes, Blackpool’s) Stanley Matthews, who won the award in its inaugural year in 1956 after edging out Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano.

It took exactly a decade before English hands would grace the award again but it was the most patriotic of victories. Manchester United hero Bobby Charlton pipped Eusebio to the post after helping England win their first and only World Cup trophy.

The late 1970s saw Kevin Keegan become the first Englishman to win the award multiple times with back-to-back triumphs. However, it was in Germany where the former Liverpool player thrived after some stellar performances in the Bundesliga and European Cup with Hamburg. After squeezing past Hans Krankl in 1978, Keegan won at a canter the following year.

It took over 20 years for England to claim their fifth and most recent Ballon d’Or title, with up-and-coming wonderkid Michael Owen dazzling in victory in 2001. Having emerged as a formidable force for Liverpool en route to a treble at the turn of the century, it was Owen’s late and decisive brace in the FA Cup final against Arsenal that was his standout achievement that year.

English winners of the Ballon d’Or

There have been some almighty close calls in past Ballon d’Or votes, with English players finishing on the podium semi-regularly. Even past winners Charlton and Keegan both had to settle for second place, the former doing so twice in 1967 and 1968.

England‘s 1966 World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore was also a runner-up four years after lifting football’s most coveted prize with the Three Lions. He finished behind sharpshooting German forward Gerd Muller, who himself came second two years later.

The year after the first ever Ballon d’Or, England actually had two players grace the top three. They were Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Billy Wright and Manchester United’s Duncan Edwards, with neither able to usurp Di Stefano. Edwards tied with France legend Raymond Kopa in third.

2005 is the only other year that has seen two Englishman in the top three, with international teammates and elite box-to-box midfielders Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard losing out to the South American flair of Ronaldinho. Neither came close to toppling the Barcelona man but Lampard pipped Gerrard to second by just six points.

One of England’s first superstar footballers, David Beckham, will have been cursing his luck in 1999. The right-sided midfielder helped Man Utd to the treble, including a monumental Champions League final comeback, but still couldn’t best Barcelona’s Rivaldo in top spot. England’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or have certainly been harmed by the decision to include non-European players from 1995 onwards.

English players in the top three of the Ballon d’Or vote without winning

In total, England have six nominees for the 2024 Ballon d’Or. Only European champions Spain can match that impressive total.

England harbour genuine hopes of producing the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner with Jude Bellingham among the favourites for the award. After a sensational debut season with Real Madrid that concluded with Champions League glory, few could argue against the former Birmingham City midfielder claiming the accolade.

But Bellingham is not the only Englishman in the mix. Arsenal duo Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are extremely unlikely to be victorious but their presence in the 30-man shortlist is encouraging. Cole Palmer enjoyed a sensational campaign with Chelsea and even scored in the Euro 2024 final with England, earning him a nomination for 2024’s prize.

Aside from Bellingham, it’s Harry Kane and Phil Foden who boast the best chance of securing victory. Neither are likely to be crowned the winner but both enjoyed impressive campaigns, Foden in particular after being named Premier League Player of the Season for 2023/24 en route to the title. Kane’s trophy curse continued but his goals certainly didn’t dry up following a move to Bayern Munich.

Ademola Lookman was born and raised in England and is a surprise nominee after his Europa League final hat-trick won the title for Atalanta. However, he plays his football for Nigeria at international level despite representing the Three Lions’ youth sides.

English nominees for Ballon d’Or 2024

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