"That's just the goal" - Arsenal star sets sights on winning Ballon d'Or within next 5 years

Arsenal prodigy Ethan Nwaneri has always been tipped for greatness. But the teenage sensation has now made his ambitions within the next five years clear: he wants to win football’s most prestigious individual prize, the Ballon d’Or.

At just 18 years old, Nwaneri is already making waves in the football world. Having made history by becoming the youngest player in the Premier League when he made his debut as a substitute for Arsenal at just 15 in 2022, he is gradually cementing his spot in the first team at the Emirates.

In a recent interview with talkSPORT, Nwaneri said his five-year goal is to be one of the top three best players in the world. When asked if that meant he wanted to be a Ballon d’Or contender, he replied:

"100 per cent, yeah. That's just the goal, but definitely. I've got that in the back of my mind."

Nwaneri was handed his debut start by Mikel Arteta against Bolton in the EFL Cup in the just-concluded season, where he showed his class by scoring a brace as Arsenal strolled to a 5-1 win. He was also named as a starter in some Premier League matches in Bukayo Saka’s absence. He ended the 2024-25 campaign with nine goals in 37 appearances.

Arsenal star Ethan Nwaneri tipped to “go to the very top” by England teammate

While Ethan Nwaneri is yet to get himself into the Ballon d’Or conversation, there are no doubts that the Englishman has what it takes to compete for top individual awards in the sport. One of Nwaneri’s England U-21 teammates, CJ Egan-Riley, described the Arsenal prodigy as a special player and believes he can achieve greatness in the sport.

Egan-Riley told talkSPORT:

"The last camp that we came on, for me, he was the best player," From the first day when I saw him in training, I was like, 'He's special'. Of course, there' so, so many good players there, but considering he's just turned 18 and it's an under-21s tournament and he's 18, so he can probably play in the next two of these. Which is crazy to me, because for most of us here, this would probably be our last chance to play in the Under-21s.

"So just considering his age and how mature he is for his age and his football brain and just how good he is with the football at his feet and how hard we works, I have no doubt he could go to the very top."

It remains to be seen if Nwaneri will win the Ballon d’Or in the coming years.