Sports

Ballon d’ Or: Three EPL Players Who Were Robbed Of Past Awards

Published

4 years ago

November 20, 2021

With nine days left to announce the winner for this year’s Ballon d’Or, DAILY POST highlights the three English Premier League, EPL, players who were robbed of the award in the past.

The winner for the Ballon d’Or 2021 will be announced on November 29.

DAILY POST reports that three EPL players deserved to win the Ballon d’Or in the past.

The EPL has been host to a lot of world-class and talented players from across the world.

EPL top clubs, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal, have had great players in the past and even currently.

Players such as Thierry Henry, Sergio Aguero, Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard have all done great exploits in the Premier League in the past and won prizes in the English top-flight league.

However, the most coveted individual award in football, the Ballon d’Or, has not found its way to England too often.

Since the English domestic league was rebranded and remodelled as the EPL in 1992, only two players from the English top-flight league have won the Ballon d’ Or – Liverpool’s Michael Owen (2001) and Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo (2008).

DAILY POST highlights three EPL players who had incredible seasons for their clubs in the past but were overlooked for the Ballon d’Or award:

1. Thierry Henry – (Arsenal)

In the 2002-2003 season, the world of football witnessed something bewildering when Juventus’s Pavel Nedved was awarded the Ballon d’Or award ahead of Henry.

Henry had put up mind-boggling numbers that season, scoring 32 goals and registering a stellar 28 assists for the Gunners.

The former France international also had 29 more goal contributions than his Czech counterpart, Nedved.

To say it was the biggest robbery in world football history would be an understatement.

However, despite the snub, Henry continued his impressive display on the pitch for several years.

He finished a surprising third in the 2006 Ballon d’Or race, finishing behind defender Fabio Cannavaro and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

2. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

In the 2018-2019 season, Van Dijk played in all of Liverpool’s 38 Premier League games.

The Dutch defender averaged 1.0 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 1.1 offsides and an amazing 5.2 clearances per game.

He was also instrumental in Liverpool’s sixth triumph in the Champions League.

His performances for Jurgen Klopp’s side earned him praise from across the world, with many naming him favourite to win the Ballon d’Or award that year.

However, Van Dijk finished second in the final voting round, losing out on the award to former Barcelona captain, Lionel Messi, by just seven votes.

3. Eric Cantona – (Manchester United)

Having finished in the third position in the Ballon d’Or rankings in the 1992-1993 season with Leeds, Cantona was expected to win the award with Manchester United.

The former France international scored 24 goals and registered 13 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions.

However, the former forward did not even finish in the top three of the Ballon d’Or race as Barcelona’s Hristo Stoichkov won the award, with Juventus’s Roberto Baggio and AC Milan’s Paolo Maldini finishing second and third, respectively.

Sports

JUST IN: Full Draw For 2026 World Cup Group Stages Confirmed

Published

2 days ago

December 5, 2025

Editor

The draw for the group stage of the 2026 World Cup has been conducted.

It took place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino in charge.

There will be 48 teams at next year’s tournament, to be played across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

All the participating countries were grouped into 12 groups of four.

Here is the full draw:

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Winner Play-off D
Group B: Canada, Winner Play-off A, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Winner Play-off C
Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Winner Play-off B, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, Winner Play-off 2, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Winner Play-off 1, Colombia, Uzbekistan
Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana

Sports

EPL: Mikel Obi Reveals Why Chelsea Failed To Beat Arsenal in 1-1 Draw

Published

5 days ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

Former Super Eagles midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has claimed Chelsea failed to defeat Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, because of an early red card to Moises Caicedo.

The two London rivals played out a pulsating 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Caicedo was sent off in the 38th minute following a VAR check.

But it was Chelsea who took the lead after the break, thanks to Trevor Chalobah’s header.

But the Gunners equalized through Mikel Merino.

So far this season, Chelsea have received seven red cards in 20 games across all competitions this season.

“That’s four red cards this season; it’s not good enough. I’ve spoken about it; the manager needs to talk with the players, because it’s costing us games as well,” Mikel Obi said on his podcast.

“If you look at that game, if we finished with eleven men, I think we could’ve won. Maybe not easily, but comfortably, we could’ve secured a win.”

Sports

EPL: Slot Reveals When Salah Will Leave For AFCON

Published

5 days ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

Liverpool manager, Arne Slot, has revealed that Mohamed Salah was “not happy” to be dropped for their 2-0 win at West Ham on Sunday.

Salah was named on the bench at the London Stadium for the Premier League fixture.

Slot took the bold decision, as he looked to arrest a poor run of form, that saw the Reds lose nine of 12 matches.

Salah was not summoned from the bench for the entire 90 minutes, as goals from Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo sealed victory.

“It was a normal reaction for a player who is good enough to play for us,” Slot said.

“I say that mildly as he’s been so outstanding for this club and will be in the future. He wasn’t happy he wasn’t starting but he wasn’t the only one.”

Salah could yet return to the starting line-up as Liverpool host Sunderland in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

The 33-year-old will remain available for the next four matches, before he leaves to join Egypt’s squad for the African Cup of Nations.

“It’s 15 December,” Slot confirmed.

“But always in these situations there is the player and the national team involved and there are always talks about what is best for all three of us.”