Harry Kane took home the 2026 Ballon d’Or at the London Palladium, becoming the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001. As a Chelsea fan, I gave him a polite round of applause from my sofa, then scrolled through the list of 30 names and found not a single current Blues player.
The closest we got was Marc Cucurella in 18th place. If he were still a Blues player, then that would be something, but he now plays for Real Madrid. He got his votes due to winning the World Cup with Spain, rather than for anything he did with us. Just a year ago, Cole Palmer finished 8th and was the highest-placed English player, but this year the Blues fell completely off the radar.
This is not due to a conspiracy against West London or a lack of talent at Cobham, at least not in my personal opinion. So, let’s get into all the reasons.
How The Ballon d’Or Works
The Ballon d’Or is voted on by 100 journalists, one from each of the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings. Each journalist votes for their top 10 players from the 30 shortlisted players. They get 15 points for their first choice, and they have three official categories to consider when voting. The first is individual performance and influence. The second is team performance and how many trophies they have won with their club and country. The last is fair play.
The voting period for this year’s award was from August 3rd 2025 to July 19th 2026. This means that for a player to have a chance, they need to have stood out in the Champions League, had a serious title race or performed well in the World Cup. Unfortunately, the Blues did not do any of these.
A Season To Forget
Chelsea started the 2025/26 season as Champions of the Club World Cup and Conference League. However, the Blues killed all the momentum. Enzo Maresca, Liam Rosenior and Calum McFarlane (interim) all managed the side, and the Blues finished 10th. They lost the FA Cup final and were knocked out in the Round of 16 in the Champions League.
That exit was especially painful. It was in front of the whole voting world and they lost 5-2 to Paris Saint-Germain, whom they beat in the Club World Cup Final. They were also thrashed 3-0 at Stamford Bridge. Losing 8-2 on aggregate certainly played its part in convincing journalists to look elsewhere when it came to Chelsea players.
The clubs who made the shortlist were winning trophies. PSG had 10 players in the running, Spain had 6 World Cup winners, and Bayern had four players, led by Kane and Michael Olise. If your rivals are winning trophies and you are swapping managers twice in a season, then your players will not be on the ballots.
Cole Palmer’s Fall From Grace
The saddest part of this is how quickly Cole Palmer has fallen. In 2024 he finished 25th after a brilliant debut season. In 2025, he moved up to 8th after winning the Conference League and playing heroics in the Club World Cup Final.
However, his body let him down. He suffered from a groin issue and barely played between August and December. He finished with 10 Premier League goals and 1 assist. He also missed out on the World Cup squad for England. He is not a bad player, as his strong start under Xabi Alonso has already shown. He just lost the chance to show what he could do, thanks to the time he spent in the physio room.
Marc Cucurella’s Irony
It is ironic that Marc Cucurella finished 18th. During the 2025/26 season, he was one of the most consistent players in a disappointing Blues side. No one really expected him to make the top 20 in the world.
However, Spain won the World Cup, and he played a key role in winning the trophy in North America. This meant someone from our 10th-placed team was ranked higher than Joao Neves, Willian Pacho and Gabriel Magalhaes. I am so happy for him, but I wish he had still been a Blues player when he became a world champion.
Fabian Ruiz finished 10th and Ferran Torres 16th. They both benefited from winning trophies**: Fabian with PSG and Spain, Ferran with Barcelona and Spain. In the Ballon d’Or rankings, brilliant players on winning teams often beat brilliant players who are stuck in a transition period.
A History Of Only Being Noticed When Chelsea Win
This is nothing new for the Blues. Frank Lampard finished runner-up in 2005 whilst Jose Mourinho’s side were dominating domestically. Jorginho finished 3rd in 2021 after winning the Champions League with the Blues and the European Championship with Italy.
Both were due to team success. When the Blues or their national teams win competitions, the players rise up the rankings. Remarkably though, no Blues player has ever won the Ballon d’Or. This should be a humbling reality. Lampard scored a ton of goals but only finished second while the team dominated.
What Next?
Unfortunately, getting snubbed in the Ballon d’Or was due to a chaotic season. Our three most dangerous attackers (Palmer, Joao Pedro and Estevao) all missed the World Cup for various reasons.
This also shows a warning for the 2027 version. Due to finishing 10th, Alonso’s side will not be playing in Europe this season. Unless they win the league or a domestic cup, the shortlist could look extremely similar. The good news is this can be fixed. The talent is clearly there. If Alonso can get us into the Champions League and real trophy contention, then individuals will start getting nominated.
On a lighter note, the women’s side enjoyed a better night. Manaka Matsukubo and Melvine Malard were both new signings and finished 22nd and joint-28th. They both earned their votes from their old clubs, so we are brilliant at signing Ballon d’Or players. Now we need to create them.