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Since the inception of the Ballon d’Or in 1956, players from the First Division and later on, the English Premier League, have always competed among the best around to lift the trophy. In fact, the first award was won by Sir Stanley Mathews, who was then playing for Blackpool in the Old First Division. Dennis Law, Sir Bobby Charlton and George Best won the award while playing for Manchester United, before Michael Owen won it years later while playing for Liverpool in 2001. The last time a Premier League player won the Ballon d’Or was in 2008 when Cristiano Ronaldo lifted the trophy while playing for Manchester United.
This year, the Ballon d’Or shortlist contains 11 Players who currently play in the Premier League. Of them, four players are from Liverpool, two each from Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspurs and one from Manchester United. Today, we rank the top five contenders for the Ballon d’Or 2018 among those 11. Who makes the cut and who misses the list? Read on to find out.
#5 Harry Kane
The English Striker was unlucky to not win his 3rd Premier League Golden Boot in as many years in the 2017/18 season because he was up against a phenomenal Mohamed Salah. Kane scored 30 goals in the Premier League, his highest return in a Premier League season till date, but still ended second. However, he made up for it by firing England to the Semi-Finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he scored 6 goals and won the Golden Boot.
This season, Kane has already scored 6 goals in 10 games, which includes 5 goals in 8 games in the Premier League. He has also has an assist to his name. He has registered 26 shots in total, 13 of which have been on target. He has also hit the woodwork once.
While Tottenham have found goals from all around their team, the English Striker still scores the bulk of their goals and continues to be their main man. Harry Kane had another fantastic year, scored some important goals and won personal accolades. However, the lack of trophies continues to hurt him in the race to the Ballon d’Or, as Harry Kane is ranked 5th in our list.
#4 Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne has consistently been one of the best midfielders in the world and certainly the best midfielder in the Premier League in the past two seasons. Last season, the Belgian scored 12 goals and registered a massive 21 assists in all competitions. In the Premier League, De Bruyne had 8 goals and 16 assists to his name from his 37 appearances. He was the architect of City’s Premier League win with a record 100 points.
The Belgian has thrived under the guidance of Pep Guardiola since the arrival of the Spaniard, but last season, he reached World Class levels. His brilliance continued in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he was a vital part of the Belgium Team that reached the Semi-Final. De Bruyne scored 1 goal and recorded 2 assists and caught the eye with his all-round display.
This season, De Bruyne was unlucky to pick up a serious injury in the very first match of the season, against Arsenal. The torn knee ligament has kept him out of action since, but the Belgian is on the road to recovery and should be returning to action pretty soon. While his absence will hurt his chances, his qualities and performance from last season ensure that he is 4th among the Premier League Players in the Ballon d’Or Shortlist in our list.
#3 N’golo Kante
The French World Cup winner is the best defensive midfielder in the World for a couple of seasons now. Last season, Kante was pivotal in Chelsea’s extended run in the FA Cup, ultimately helping the Blues win the trophy in May. In the Premier League, he scored 1 goal, registered 1 assist, averaged 63 passes per game and created 4 big chances. He attempted 9 through balls and 89 accurate long balls. But Kante’s biggest strength was his defensive solidity. He attempted 113 tackles with 67% accuracy, recorded 85 interceptions and 26 clearances. He recovered the ball 312 times and did not commit a single error which led to a goal.
Over the summer at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Kante struck a formidable partnership with Paul Pogba at the centre of the park for the France National Team. His energy, drive and work ethics ensured that France ended the Tournament as World Champions.
This season, there were questions of his application in Maurizio Sarri’s tactics, however, the Frenchman has thrown all the doubts through the window and excelled under the guidance of the Italian. He has already scored 1 goal in 8 games, influencing the game from higher up the pitch now. He has attempted 14 tackles with 57% accuracy and has recovered the ball 45 times already. N’golo Kante, as such, is 3rd in our list of Premier League Players in the Ballon d’Or Shortlist.
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#2 Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian had a fabulous 2017/18 season, beating Harry Kane to the Premier League Golden Boot by scoring 32 goals from 36 games. Salah scored a total of 44 goals from 54 games and also registered 16 assists in his debut season for Liverpool. He reached the final of the Champions League, scoring 10 goals from 13 appearances, however, an injury picked up early in the first half meant that he could only play for 30 minutes in a final which Liverpool lost 3-1 to Real Madrid. That would be the closest he would get to picking up a trophy.
His outing in the 2018 FIFA World Cup was disappointing, but Salah did make it to the Final 3 in the FIFA’s Best Men Player of the Year Award, which was eventually won by Luka Modric.
This season, the Egyptian has been a little slower off the blocks and has found the back of the net 3 times in 8 games in the Premier League and 11 games in total. He has registered 32 shots in the Premier League, 13 of which were on target. He has missed 6 big chances, which has hurt his returns. However, Salah is still a massive player for Liverpool and will surely turn it around. He is 2nd in our list of Premier League Players in the Ballon d’Or Shortlist.
#1 Eden Hazard
When Maurizio Sarri took over at Chelsea, doubts were cast about how Eden Hazard would fit into his plans. Ronaldo’s departure from the Bernabeu gave rise to rumours that the Belgian was now on Real’s radar as a potential replacement for the Portuguese and there were valid reasons for all the talk.
Last season, Eden Hazard scored 17 goals in all competitions and registered 13 assists. In the Premier League, he scored 12 goals from 34 games. While Chelsea did not fare well in the League, Hazard picked up the FA Cup at the end of the season, scoring the winner against Manchester United. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Hazard scored 3 goals as Belgium finished third.
The arrival of Sarri had put his future under some doubt, but Hazard has hit a higher gear this season, revelling under the Italian’s tactics and guidance. He has been menacing so far, improving his goal scoring form, finding the back of the net 8 times already in 10 games in all competitions. In the Premier League, he has scored 7 goals from 8 games and has registered 3 assists. He has attempted 23 shots so far, 10 of which have been on target. He is currently averaging 58 passes per game and has already created 6 big chances. Eden Hazard, as such, is the number one contender among the Premier League Players for the Ballon d’Or 2018.
