The Ballon d’Or, awarded annually to the best player in world football, is the pinnacle of the sport’s individual achievements.
Previous winners of the legendary prize include Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Nazario and Lionel Messi, who has scooped the prize a record eight times.
La Liga has produced the bulk of these winners, with 24 of the prize’s previous recipients playing in Spain at the time. With just two winners coming from the Premier League since 1992 – the last being Ronaldo in 2008 – England’s top flight pales in comparison, but the division’s stars have been increasingly recognised in recent years.
In each of the last four editions, a Premier League player has finished within the top three places for the Ballon d’Or, with Erling Haaland finishing second behind Messi in 2023, while Manchester City teammate Rodri took home the gong in 2024, much to the frustration of Vinicius Junior and Real Madrid
But who else from these shores could be awaiting such an accolade in the future? Here are seven top-flight players we think have a chance of being the Premier League’s next Ballon d’Or star.
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1 ByLuke RandallSep 4, 2024 1 Erling Haaland (Manchester City) Ballon d'Or best: 2nd (2023)
In the case of Erling Haaland, it’s surely more of a question of when he will win the Ballon d’Or than if.
Since bursting onto the scene with RB Salzburg in 2019, the Man City hitman has broken record after record. At just 24 years old, he’s already broken the record for the most Premier League goals scored in a single season, netting 36 in 38 games during the 2022/23 season.
Last term, he became the fastest and youngest player in history to score 40 Champions League goals, surpassing the previous record held by former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy by 10 games.
Haaland is also already Norway’s record goalscorer, having found the net 34 times in just 37 matches.
At the time of writing, he’s already hit 271 career goals at senior level and shown no signs of slowing down, having hit 13 in the first 12 games of this season.
Keep going, and it’s only a matter of time before he wins world football’s biggest individual prize thanks to his unrivalled scoring rate and growing trophy cabinet.
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ByLewis ThompsonJul 25, 2024 2 Cole Palmer (Chelsea) Ballon d'Or best: 25th (2024)
Only four English players in history have ever won the Ballon d’Or – Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, and Michael Owen, with the latter scooping the prize back in 2001.
Based on his displays over the past year, Cole Palmer is arguably the most likely of any current Englishman to become the next name on that list. Since moving to Chelsea from Manchester City last summer, the 22-year-old playmaker has scored 31 goals and provided 20 assists in just 55 games for the Blues – figures that in the same time period are unmatched by any other midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or nominee was also named England’s Player of the Year thanks to his impressive contributions at the summer’s European Championship, which saw him come off the bench to set up the winner in the semi-final against the Netherlands and score in the final against Spain.
Palmer already believes he’s got what it takes to win the Ballon d’Or one day: “I believe with hard work and consistency I could get there!”
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1 ByBarney LaneOct 11, 2024 3 Bukayo Saka Ballon d'Or best: 21st (2024)
One man who certainly doesn’t struggle when playing for his country is Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka.
Before Palmer scooped the award, Saka was voted England’s Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023. Since making his Three Lions debut in 2020, the 23-year-old winger has been an impressive star on the international stage.
Three of his goals came at the 2022 World Cup, where Gareth Southgate’s side were knocked out in the quarter-finals by eventual runners-up France.
Just as he is for his country, Saka is also a star player for Arsenal. Not only is he an attacking force to be reckoned with, but he also contributes a huge amount in defence, and despite his youth, he has already established himself as a leader for the club both on and off the pitch, having captained Mikel Arteta’s side on numerous occasions.
Saka is a superb team player, and should he finally be able to help Arsenal lift the Premier League title, there’s no reason he couldn’t be a serious contender for the Ballon d’Or.
4 Phil Foden Ballon d'Or best: 11th (2024)
Phil Foden has everything it takes to one day be a Ballon d’Or winner.
Firstly, he’s a terrific footballer who boasts bags of skill, a superb passing range and an acute eye for goal. Secondly, he’s playing in a terrific team, meaning he will no doubt have many team honours bestowed upon him for years to come.
However, one thing that lets down the Englishman, who was named last season’s PFA Player of the Year, is his form on the international stage.
Foden has never really shown up for England. In 43 games for his country, he’s scored just four goals – only one of which was at a major tournament.
At the last European Championship, he started every game for Gareth Southgate’s side, but didn’t register a single goal contribution and came under heavy scrutiny for his performances, including from former Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who suggested that his old teammates Xavi and Andres Iniesta never went missing for their country as Foden does for England.
“He needs to want it more,” Fabregas said of the City midfielder.
If Foden can fix his form for England and continue playing as he is for City (perhaps ignoring his slow start to this season), he could one day find himself in contention for the Ballon d’Or, but only time will tell.
5 Mohamed Salah Ballon d'Or best: 5th (2019 & 2022)
Despite some stellar seasons at Anfield, Mohamed Salah has never really been in the mix when it comes to winning the Ballon d’Or. The closest he’s come to claiming the award was in 2019 and 2022, when he finished in fifth place. This year, he’s not even been included on the 30-man shortlist.
Given his extraordinary career, the Egyptian would be more than in his right to feel a little aggrieved.
Since moving to Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017, Salah has scored 218 goals in 361 games for the Reds, helping them lift the Champions League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, and the Premier League. He’s Liverpool’s top Premier League scorer of all time, a three-time Golden Boot winner, and a former Premier League Player of the Year winner.
At 32, time is now running out for Salah to win the Ballon d’Or, especially with his Liverpool future up in the air, but with a new era having recently dawned at Anfield in the wake of Jurgen Klopp’s departure, there is still a chance.
Under new manager Arne Slot, Liverpool are currently top of the Premier League table and Salah has been a key figure, scoring five goals and providing five assists. If he and Liverpool can continue that form and put an end to Manchester City’s four-year spell as Premier League champions, don’t be surprised if the forward is in contention next year.
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ByStephan GeorgiouMay 26, 2025 6 Virgil van Dijk Ballon d'Or best: 2nd (2019)
Most of the sentiments that have been applied to Salah above can also be applied to Virgil van Dijk.
Since moving to Liverpool in 2018, the Dutchman has been one of world football’s most outstanding central defenders, helping the Reds lift a plethora of trophies. He’s also been named the PFA Player of the Year, Premier League Player of the Season and UEFA Men’s Player of the Year.
Like his Egyptian teammate, however, he’s never won the Ballon d’Or.
He has come close, finishing just behind Lionel Messi in 2019, and if he and Liverpool continue as they are under Slot, it would be no surprise to see him back in contention in the near future.
Should he be pitted against Salah, however, it’s likely Salah would come out on top, given that the Ballon d’Or voters have a tendency to favour attackers when it comes to picking a winner – though international success with the Netherlands may yet give him the boost he needs, though this means he may have to stay on top form until 2026 at least.
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ByLuke RandallAug 20, 2024 7 Son Heung-min Ballon d'Or best: 11th (2022)
No Asian footballer has ever won the Ballon d’Or, but if anyone is to finally do it, Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min, who finished 11th in 2022, looks best placed to become the first.
The South Korea international has been one of the Premier League’s outstanding players for almost a decade now. In 416 games for Spurs, he’s scored 165 goals, and alongside Harry Kane (at least, before he left for Bayern Munich), helped carry his team through tough times.
You can’t help but feel that if Son – who has all the attributes to be the world’s best player – wants to win the Ballon d’Or, he will have to follow Kane out of Tottenham to greener pastures. Traditionally, Ballon d’Or winners aren’t just great players, but also play for winning teams.
Right now, Tottenham aren’t that, and with Son fast approaching his 33rd birthday, time is running out for him to tick both of those boxes and put himself in contention. 2022 winner Karim Benzema was 34 when he grabbed the award, so it is not too late.