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The nominees have been announced for the most coveted individual prize in world football, the Ballon d’Or, and it’s no shock to see no Englishmen on the list.
Last year saw Wayne Rooney as the sole English representative on the shortlist for the award and it went one step worse this year, in a repeat of 2011, as the list named without a single English player. It’s a damning reflection on the English national team at the moment who struggled to qualify for the World Cup finals despite having a relatively easy qualifying group. With the national game going through a transitional period it’s no wonder the list was depraved of any English talent, with players standing in the shadows of their German and Spanish counterparts in recent seasons.
There’s always the Premier League though, right? Not anymore it seems. La Liga has been joined at the top of the footballing pyramid by the Bundesliga as the Premier League continues to play catch up. This is reflected in last season’s Champions League campaign that could be considered a changing of the guard as the semi-finals consisted of two German clubs and two Spanish clubs, resulting in an all-German final at Wembley. The demise of Serie A and the foreign player influx to the Premier League opened up a gap as the self-proclaimed best league in the world saw the English game shine during the late ’90s and early ’00s. Michael Owen notably taking home the Ballon d’Or crown in 2001.
The glory days, though not completely gone, seem to be dwindling away and despite the FA implementing ideas to help English players develop in such competitive times, a recent study has revealed that only 32.26% of minutes played in the Premier League were completed by English players. If you compare this to Spain (59%) and Germany (50%) it is significantly lower and points to an issue where English clubs are looking to buy talent rather than nurture their own – bringing our problem with coaching in this country into the spotlight.
Both Spain and Germany have developed strong national sides after going through relatively tough periods during the Premier League’s rise. The focus they have shown on developing technique goes unquestioned and is something England must look at themselves if they are to see English players competing for the best player in the world crown in the future. The two countries take up nearly 25% of this year’s list, four German players and two Spanish. This, along with last year’s award (two and seven respectively), shows the domination by the two countries in recent seasons – something England must aspire to.
If the English national game, and therefore individual talent, is to get back on its feet then it must enforce tighter restrictions on foreign players in the Premier League. It may see a drop in popularity from overseas at first, but if the coaching is up to scratch and technically sound then future generations will reap the benefits of being given more playing time and responsibility. Players like Jack Wilshere offer a light at the end of the tunnel for supporters, but as we’ve seen in the past, with the dependence on Wayne Rooney, relying on one player to get us through a tournament simply will not work. A network needs to be put in place to consistently develop talent like Wilshere in order for the English game to flourish once again.
It isn’t something that can be done overnight, but it’s time drastic changes were made before the Premier League and England national team is seen as the fallen giant of the football world.
