5 Premier League superstars who were robbed of the Ballon d'Or
The Premier League has been host to a lot of talented, world-class players from all over the world. They have plied their trade at big clubs in England, including the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. The league has seen players create some unforgettable moments and records over the years.
Players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Eden Hazard, Fernando Torres and Sergio Aguero have monopolised the Premier League's individual awards over the years. However, the most coveted individual award in the game - the Ballon d'Or - has not found its way to England too often.
Since the English top flight was rebranded and remodelled as the Premier League in 1992, only two players from the league have won the award. The first one was Michael Owen in 2001 while he was at Liverpool. Cristiano Ronaldo was the other one, winning it in 2008 while playing for Manchester United.
Since then, Ronaldo has played for Real Madrid and won four more Ballon d'Or awards. After a three-season stint with Juventus, he is back in Manchester now. Still, nobody else from the Premier League has joined Owen and Ronaldo as Ballon d'Or winners.
🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo = last Premier League Ballon d'Or winner (2008) 🏆
#UCL https://t.co/st3VKhtOhP
This is not suggestive in any way that there haven't been players with the pedigree and stats good enough to earn them the Ballon d'Or award. But there have been a few years where players from the Premier League have been snubbed. There were others who were surprise winners, or did not deserve it as much as their Premier League counterparts.
On that note, here's a look at five such Premier League players who had incredible seasons for their clubs, but were overlooked for the Ballon d'Or award:
#5 Wayne Rooney - Manchester United
Wayne Rooney's performances during his time with Manchester United can be likened to - and be described using one word - blitzkrieg.
The man scored goals with his left foot, right foot and head, and with shots from outside the box and free-kicks. You name it, and he has scored. Rooney won five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Europa League and one FIFA Club World Cup during his time in Manchester.
He was one of the greatest English players to wear United's famous red and white kit.
📈 Wayne Rooney's top rated Premier League seasons
🥇 2009/10: 7.91 (26 goals / 3 assists)
🥈 2011/12: 7.73 (27 goals / 4 assists)
🥉 2013/14: 7.62 (17 goals / 10 assists)
🙌 One of England's finest https://t.co/Gzm5MPuwau
Arguably the best season Wayne Rooney had with United was the 2009-10 campaign. However, the Red Devils only managed to win the English League Cup that season, becoming the first club to defend the trophy since Nottingham Forest in 1990. They lost out to Chelsea in the Premier League title race by a solitary point. United were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Bayern Munich, and lost to fierce rivals Leeds United in the FA Cup.
Wayne Rooney, though, put up some memorable numbers. The former United frontman had 34 goals and seven assists in 44 games that season, finishing as the club's league and overall top scorer. A total of 26 of those strikes came in the Premier League. The season also included a five-game run where Rooney scored goals in each game using only his head.
His numbers were up there with that of eventual winner Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona. However, one can argue Wayne Rooney deserved to be at least in the Ballon d'or podium that year, if not win the award.
#4 Frank Lampard - Chelsea FC
Frank Lampard, a central midfielder, is Chelsea's all-time top scorer with 211 goals in 648 appearances across competitions. He also provided 150 assists to his teammates. Lampard was an integral part of the Chelsea and England teams of the 2000s, winning several honours.
Lampard won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, one UEFA Champions League and one UEFA Europa League with The Blues, playing for a handful of managers. His best season in terms of performances and statistics, though, came under Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho in the 2004-05 season.
Chelsea broke records and made new ones, with Lampard playing a pivotal role in their Premier League success. The Englshman provided a staggering 31 goal contributions from midfield, playing all 38 Premier League games that season.
Chelsea 2004/05 PL Champions:
• 95 points
• Just 15 goals conceded in 38 games
• 25 clean sheets
• Frank Lampard 31 G/A’s in 38 games from midfield.
• John Terry PFA POTY
• 29 wins, just one loss
The Greatest Premier League side in history. https://t.co/oEokMrEIdi
Frank Lampard, 23 at the time, made a stunning 58 appearances for Chelsea that season. He scored 19 goals and dished out an incredible 21 assists across competitions. Out of those, 13 goals and 18 assists came in Chelsea's march to the Premier League title. It remains a record assists tally in a top-five league campaign.
Jadon Sancho is the first English player to provide 15+ assists in one of Europe’s top five leagues since Frank Lampard (18) in 2004/05.
What a player, what a season. https://t.co/ZPk0ytsjIz
However, much to the surprise of Chelsea and England fans, Lampard was pipped to the prestigious Ballon d'Or award by Barcelona's Ronaldinho. The Brazilian didn't have a stat line as impressive as Lampard's. That made it all the more puzzling why the latter didn't walk away with the Ballon d'Or award that year.
It remains one of the strangest Ballon d'Or snubs of one of England and Chelsea's all-time greats.