Football

Every English Ballon d’Or Winner In History As Six Men Receive Nominations

James Chittick Sports Editor

Published05 Sep 2024

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We’ve taken a look back at the four English Ballon d’Or winners, with six of this year’s crop nominated for the men’s award in 2024.

Six of England’s Euro 2024 finalists have made the 30-man shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

Three Lions captain Harry Kane is joined by fellow forwards Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka, while midfielders Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Declan Rice are also up for the most prestigious individual award in world football.

Also nominated is Spanish wonder-kid, Lamine Yamal. The Barcelona winger only turned 17 in July, but helped his country defeat England to win Euro 2024 over the summer.

But while half a dozen English stars have made the shortlist this year, only four in history have ever been awarded the Ballon d’Or.

English Ballon d’Or Winners

Sir Stanley Matthews

Winner of the inaugural award, Sir Stanley Mathews won the Ballon d’Or in 1956. The former Stoke City and Blackpool winger played 269 times in the old First Division.

Still playing at 50 years old, he was 41 when he took the first-ever Ballon d’Or, beating the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas.

He maintains the record to this day for the oldest England international ever, representing the Three Lions at the age of 42.

Sir Stanley died in 2000 at the age of 85, but is still fondly remembered as one of England’s greats.

Sir Bobby Charlton

A Manchester United and England legend, Sir Bobby Charlton is often regarded as the greatest player in English history – and rightly so.

Winning the World Cup in 1966, he also scored twice as United made the European Cup semi-finals.

Despite a fourth-placed league finish, Charlton scored 15 times for United, and capped a trophyless domestic campaign with the ultimate prize for his country.

Awarded the Ballon d’Or in 1966, he was also the runner-up for the next two seasons.

Kevin Keegan

While all four men on this list have won the Ballon d’Or, only one Englishman has ever done it twice.

Kevin Keegan won the award in 1978 and 1979, both while playing for Hamburger SV in Germany. As well as a Bundesliga title, he also won the European Cup with Liverpool.

Keegan is still a hero in Hamburg, but left to join Southampton in 1982, before finishing his top level career with Newcastle.

In total, he scored 231 times in 595 senior appearances for his various clubs, and is without a doubt an all-time great.

Michael Owen

It had been more than 20 years since Keegan’s back-to-back Ballon d’Or wins when Michael Owen took the prize.

Unfortunately known by many today for his less-than-entertaining punditry, people often forget just how phenomenal a player he was.

England’s sixth-highest goalscorer of all time, Owen’s career was hampered by injury. But in 2001, he was probably the most deadly striker on the planet.

Capping off an incredible year in which Liverpool won five trophies, Owen took home the Ballon d’Or and is still the last Englishman to win the award.

While he did go on to play for Real Madrid, Newcastle, Manchester United and Stoke, it’s his time at Liverpool that saw him enjoy his best football.