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

WAFCON: Ihezuo Strikes Late As Nigeria Edge Botswana To Reach Quarter-finals

Published

1 day ago

July 10, 2025

Editor

Substitute Chinwendu Ihezuo came off the bench to score a dramatic 89th-minute winner as Nigeria sealed a 1-0 win over Botswana in their Group B clash at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Thursday.

Nigeria looked set for a frustrating evening until Ihezuo met a low cross from Esther Okoronkwo and tapped home at the back post for her second goal of the tournament.

The result, secured at the Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca, confirmed the Super Falcons’ place in the quarter-finals.

Despite being overwhelming favourites, the nine-time champions struggled to break down a resilient Botswana side and their outstanding goalkeeper, Sedilame Boseja.

The Super Falcons were wasteful in front of goal for much of the contest, with Asisat Oshoala and Toni Payne both missing first-half chances. Botswana came close to a shock lead through Balothany Johannes and Laone Moloi, whose efforts tested Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.

Sports

Oliseh Urges Osimhen To Choose Premier League Over Galatasaray Return

Published

3 days ago

July 9, 2025

Editor

Former Super Eagles head coach, Sunday Oliseh, has issued a strong word of advice to Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen amid mounting speculation linking the Napoli forward with a surprise return to Turkish giants Galatasaray.

In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Oliseh warned that the 26-year-old striker is at a pivotal stage in his career and must carefully consider his next move to avoid future regret. He wrote, “Victor Osimhen is at a very delicate crossroad. He needs to find his way to the Premier League in a hurry or he risks so much regret! Man. United and Arsenal need this player if only…..”

Oliseh’s comments come amid reports that Osimhen is preparing for a permanent switch to Galatasaray, where he previously starred during a loan spell, scoring 26 goals to lead the club to the Turkish Super Lig title. However, the Nigerian legend believes a move to England’s top flight would better suit Osimhen’s development and global standing.

Now 26, Osimhen’s age is reportedly becoming a factor in transfer negotiations, with some Premier League clubs cautious about making a high-value investment. Delaying a move to England any further could reduce his appeal in the competitive Premier League market, insiders suggest.

Despite being contracted to Napoli until 2026, Osimhen’s future remains uncertain. The striker was expected to return for pre-season training, but reports in Italy claim that new head coach Antonio Conte has no intention of including him in his plans and could relegate him to the youth team.

Sports

Liverpool Return To Training In Wake Of Jota death

Published

4 days ago

July 8, 2025

Editor

Liverpool’s stars returned to training on Tuesday for the first time since the tragic death of forward Diogo Jota.

The Premier League champions postponed the start of pre-season training after Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva died in a car crash in northern Spain last Thursday.

Manager Arne Slot and a number of the Liverpool squad, led by captain Virgil van Dijk, attended Jota’s funeral in his home town of Gondomar, near Porto, on Saturday.

Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley and Wataru Endo were among the players pictured arriving at the training ground.

Salah said in his tribute to the Portuguese international that he was frightened to go back to Liverpool to face the reality of Jota’s passing.

“Teammates come and go but not like this. It’s going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won’t be there when we go back,” Salah posted on Instagram.

A site of remembrance has been set up at the club’s iconic Anfield stadium where hundreds of bouquets of flowers, shirts, scarves and pictures have been left by fans and former players in recent days.

Liverpool’s first pre-season friendly is scheduled for Sunday away at Championship side Preston.

But ticket sales for that match have been suspended pending a final decision on whether the match will go ahead.

Liverpool are then due to go on an Asian tour, playing AC Milan in Hong Kong and Japanese side Yokohama Marinos before the end of the month.