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Chelsea forward Kai Havertz has not ruled out being in line to win the Ballon d'Or in the future. The Germany international was a surprise guest for Merav, a young Chelsea fan from India, as part of a marketing exercise by Premier League India.
Merav revealed that Kante was one of his favorite Blues players but was also full of praise for Havertz. He said that the forward could be a potential future Ballon d'Or winner. The fan said while on a video call with Premier League India (via Eurosport):
“I think he can be the best.”
“I think he can win the Ballon d’Or, but he has the potential and he’s very young.”
Kai Havertz was asked for his thoughts on the claim, to which he replied that he had a long way to go before reaching those heights but did not rule it out. He said:
“I think I have a long road ahead but let’s see what the next year’s gonna bring.''
The former Bayer Leverkusen man joined Chelsea from the Bundesliga for a then-club record fee in 2020. He initially struggled to perform at the levels expected but has grown to become one of Thomas Tuchel's most dependable players.
Havertz has scored 13 goals and provided six assists from 44 matches in all competitions. He has stepped up and displaced the misfiring Romelu Lukaku from the starting lineup.
Chelsea still waiting on their first Ballon d'Or winner
The Ballon d'Or is widely regarded as the biggest individual honor in football. It, therefore, comes as no surprise that some of the greatest players in history have had their names on the list of past winners.
These players have represented the biggest clubs throughout the years and have played key roles in helping elite clubs establish their dominance.
Lionel Messi leads the way at the summit with seven wins, while Cristiano Ronaldo is on five. Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten are all on three wins each.
In terms of clubs, Barcelona have had six different winners who have won a combined 12 Ballons d'Or. Real Madrid have seven different winners who have won 11 combined, while AC Milan and Juventus each have six different winners for a total of eight Ballons d'Or.
A notable elite club who have yet to produce a Ballon d'Or winner is Chelsea. Although the Blues have had three previous winners on their books, they are yet to have a player win the Ballon d'Or while representing the Stamford Bridge outfit.
The closest the club have come was their podium finishes in 2005 and 2021. Frank Lampard finished second to Ronaldinho in the former, while Jorginho came third in 2021.
Andriy Shevchenko, Ruud Gullit and George Weah moved to the London side later in their careers after winning the Ballon d'Or elsewhere.
