The Ballon d'Or remains the most prestigious individual honour in football, bestowed on the best player on the planet within the last calendar year.
Looking ahead to the 2025 prize, it'sincredibly unlikely an English player will be claiming the award with Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane the only Three Lions representative within the top 10 of the Ballon d'Or power rankings.
Unfortunately, despite England being the home of football, the nation haven't fared especially well in Ballon d'Or voting since the 1960s and 1970s. Only four English players have ever won the Ballon d'Or, and three of those - Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton and Kevin Keegan - did so before the turn of 1980.
The last English winner of the award was Michael Owen, who took the prize in 2001 having devastated defences across the continent to help Liverpool win a unique treble of the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup.
Midfielder Jude Bellingham came third in the 2024 Ballon d'Or, having reached the final of the European Championship with England and won the Champions League with Real Madrid.
But last year, a different midfielder was tipped by Brentford boss Thomas Frank to become the next Englishman to win the award.
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Thomas Frank Picked Out Phil Foden as Potential Ballon d'Or Winner
Bees manager is a big fan of Man City and England star
phil foden
When speaking about Foden in 2024, Frank was full of praise for the England international, telling reporters:
"Foden is a very good player, for me he is the closest England will get to winning a Ballon d'Or in the future. He can influence the game in so many ways, the last game against us he got on the end of three situations and scored three goals. He is a very good dribbler and works very hard for the team."
Foden's Form has Fallen off a Cliff
England international has gone backwards this season
foden pep
Come the end of the 2023/24 campaign, Foden was being hailed as one of the biggest talents in Europe. He'd scored a staggering 27 goals across all competitions, including 19 in the Premier League as the Citizens won a fourth consecutive title.
But he has suffered as much as anyone else from City's sudden downturn this term. Although injuries have been a factor at times, he appears to have lost the faith of his manager too, having played a full ninety minutes just three times in the Premier League since the turn of 2025.
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England have boasted a plethora of top midfielders over the years, including Frank Lampard and Glenn Hoddle.
Foden hasn't even been in the running for the PFA Player of the Year, let alone the Ballon d'Or, and although Thomas Tuchel included the 24-year-old in his first England squad, there are certainly doubts over how important he'll be for the Three Lions when the 2026 World Cup rolls around next summer. There's a lot of competition in midfield and attacking roles from the likes of Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Bellingham and Anthony Gordon.
While only so much responsibility for City's plight can be attributed to Foden, it's certainly concerning that Pep Guardiola has been trusting Kevin De Bruyne far more in the final weeks of the season, despite his summer exit already being confirmed.
Next season needs to be a big one for the Stockport-born maestro, before his career starts to veer seriously off-course.