by Sutekh »
01 Nov 2023 08:00
Winston Biscuit Only 6 Ballon d'Or winners have come from English clubs since it started 67 years ago, and only 2 during the PL era.
La Liga - 24
Serie A - 18
Why have so few winners come from English clubs?
In previous years, despite the dominance of English clubs in european competition in earlier decades, and the competitveness of English leagues, foreign journalists (who vote in the ballon thing) don't rate english football or leagues or players so they only very rarely get a lookin. There is some argument in their favour as until recently British players never really made names for themselves on the continent. Don't get why that hasn't improved in the last 20 years though as more foreign imports have made names in the PL.
But then the whole "competition" is really a subjective load of toss (like the pointless rock and roll halls of fame things). These last 20 years all they've basically done is award the title to either Messi or Ronaldo and stuff anyone else whatever their achievements e.g. Lewandowski and Salah should really have won it but no instead it's the same names just because we're told they're the best players in the world even if their achievements over a year/season might seemingly have been surpassed by others (no doubt they'd still have won in some years even if they were out injured for the season).
This year's award is no more than yet another "sympathy" vote for Messi because he's 55 or something and Argentina won the world cup, yet Haaland is completely ignored. Also, how often do defenders and keepers win the award, always seems to be attack minded players...
Was Owen the last English player to win it in 2001(?) or have Beckham/Lampard/Gerrard or even Kane manage to jam it somehow since?
All that said though, reckon Bellingham will be taking it next year while the PL clubs get "unlucky" again.
Really? Who would give a toss?
