Top 6 Premier League Players to Win the Ballon d’Or

The Ballon d’Or stands as the ultimate recognition of individual excellence a footballer can achieve.

It’s handed to the player who has been adjudged the best in the world for a calendar year, and you would expect, given the fact that the Premier League-often touted as the most competitive football league in the world would have had a long list of past winners.

However, you might be surprised to know that only two players have won the Ballon d’Or while playing in the Premier League era, post-1992. If we include the years of the English First Division before the league’s rebrand, we find that a total of six players from England’s top flight have been crowned the world’s best.

Let’s take a look.

A Brief Look at the History of the Ballon d’Or

To know the context, before diving deep into the players of the Premier League who have won the Ballon d’Or, it is important to explain the background of the award.

Established in 1956 by France Football, the Ballon d’Or initially recognized the best European player, voted on by journalists.

In 1995, the rules were expanded to include non-European players playing in European leagues, and from 2007 onwards, it became a global award, open to all players regardless of nationality or where they played

The Premier League’s contribution to the Ballon d’Or tally began long before the formation of the modern competition back in 1992.

English football through its top-flight First Division at the time, had its fair share of world-class players, some of whom were recognized as the best in the game.

So let’s look at the six players that have brought this coveted prize to England’s shores.

1. Stanley Matthews (Blackpool, 1956)

Nicknamed “The Wizard of the Dribble” Matthews was the very first player ever to have won the Ballon d’Or when it was instituted in 1956.

He had won it at the age of 41 and became one of the oldest winners, proof of his longevity, consistency, and skill. Matthews had been known for his dribbling on the ball and balance that often left defenders in his wake.

The fascinating thing about Matthews is that he did not win the Ballon d’Or for having just one great season, but rather for his lifelong impact and service to football.

At the time when he won, he was playing for Blackpool, a club in which he had spent most of his playing career, although he also had successful spells at Stoke City.

His presence in a home league was enough to make an impact, as Matthews played a significant role in establishing England as an international force during his playing days.

A product of a different generation, very far removed from the global enterprise that is football today, Stanley Matthews was almost mythical; his triumph in the Ballon d’Or set the beat for the importance of individual brilliance in the beautiful game.

2. Denis Law (Manchester United, 1964)

In 1964, Denis Law became the second player from England’s top flight to take home the Ballon d’Or. The Manchester United right footer was sharp in front of the goal, scoring with regularity through most competitions.

The ability of Law to sniff out any chance coupled with his lethal finishing earned him the nickname “The King” at Old Trafford.

The Balon d’Or-winning campaign brought a spectacular 46 goals across all competitions, but how he tirelessly worked and drove for his team earned him the reputation as United’s talisman throughout the 1960s period when the club began to assume a reputation as one of the most dominant forces in European football.

The high point of his international career came in 1964, but as far as team success is concerned, it came a few years later when Manchester United won the European Cup in 1968.

However, he still clings to the Ballon d’Or to prove that he was indeed one of the finest forwards in his day, and his memory is still fondly held about Manchester United’s history.

SEE ALSO | 10 Greatest Dribblers In Football History

3. Bobby Charlton (Manchester United, 1966)

Bobby is a name that goes hand in glove with English football’s greatest triumph-the 1966 World Cup. In the same year, Charlton won the Ballon d’Or, no doubt for his incredible performance leading England to World Cup glory on home turf.

He was an attacking midfielder and was very much the heartbeat of Manchester United as well as England. The long-range shooting was indeed a part of his game, with the powerful strikes that came along as an ingredient to be a hallmark in the career of this man.

Besides being a much more athletic player than just a goal-getter, his vision and leadership on the pitch were always vital to his teams’ success.

He was the linchpin at club level for Manchester United‘s supremacy in English football during the 1960s, playing in the 1968 European Cup-winning United side and thus assuring his place among the greatest of all time.

4. George Best (Manchester United, 1968)

Few players in the history of football have captured the imagination as much as that of George Best. A maverick on the field of play, Best was the first “rockstar” of football, dazzling fans and terrorizing defenders with his incomparable dribbling, flair, and creativity.

In 1968, he went on to win the Ballon d’Or after Manchester United lifted the European Cup, in which he had played a vital role.

There was little denying Best’s immense talent, with many speaking about the player as being many years ahead of his time. The ease with which he passed defenders combined well with his eye for goal to make him one of the most feared attackers in world football.

The peak of his career was the 1967-68 season when he scored 32 goals in all competitions as United attained domestic and European glory.

5. Michael Owen (Liverpool, 2001)

Finally, after a long gap, the Premier League produced another Ballon d’Or winner in 2001, and it came in the form of Michael Owen, the electrifying Liverpool forward.

Bursting onto the scene as a raw teenager, Owen quickly carved a niche in the game as a blindingly paced forward with deadly finishing skills. By the time he was 21, he had already gained a reputation as one of the best strikers in the world.

Owen’s Ballon d’Or-winning year was fantastic, as he helped Liverpool to a treble, winning the FA Cup, League Cup, and UEFA Cup in 2001.

He was particularly important in the final of the FA Cup, where he scored two late goals that turned the game around and sealed it for Liverpool 2-1 against Arsenal in what was later referred to as “The Michael Owen Final.”

Injuries sadly hampered Owen’s career, but the 2001 season remains one of the most memorable by a Premier League striker.

He was the first English player since Kevin Keegan in 1979 to have won the Ballon d’Or and to this day is still one of just a handful of Premier League players to have lifted the award.

SEE ALSO | Manchester United’s Top 20 Record Goalscorers

6. Ronaldo (Manchester United, 2008)

One cannot even start speaking about the Ballon d’Or and not refer to Cristiano Ronaldo as probably the most successful and decorated soccer player ever.

With Ronaldo having won this on five different occasions, the first was back in 2008 while playing for Manchester United after a tremendous season in which he scored 42 goals and led United to both the Premier League title and Champions League trophy.

By 2008, Ronaldo’s evolution from tricky winger to goal-scoring phenomenon was well underway, and his form that season was simply incredible. He ended the campaign as the top scorer in the Premier League, and in a Champions League final against Chelsea, it was he who scored the first goal with a powerful header.

A missed penalty in the shoot-out mattered little as United lifted the title, and Ronaldo’s efforts throughout the campaign saw him awarded the Ballon d’Or.

That time at Manchester United laid the bedrock not only for his future world football domination but also showed the world that the Premier League could produce the best player on the planet.

Why Are There So Few Premier League Ballon d’Or Winners?

It is unbelievable how few Ballon d’Or winners have come from a league as competitive and popular around the world as the Premier League.

One big reason for that is that most of the best players in the world have tended, at least in the 21st century, to play in La Liga. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the award for more than a decade playing for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.

More than that, the physical nature and high-intensity style of the game that is applied to the Premier League often means individual brilliance can be more difficult to maintain on a consistent basis than perhaps in other leagues.

Nonetheless, the league is one that lures world-class talent, and over recent years players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, and Erling Haaland have all been named as future potential Ballon d’Or winners.

Will We See Another Premier League Ballon d’Or Winner Soon?

With the way the Premier League has been going, its growth be it from a global standpoint and the quality of players, a Ballon d’Or winner from England’s top flight just feels inevitable.

Charging at the forefront are rising stars such as Erling Haaland, Saliba, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, and established superstars such as Kevin De Bruyne; the Premier League could shortly see its next Ballon d’Or winner.

For now, the six who have done so thus far will remain etched in football history as some of the best ever to have played the game.