Why does the Premier League produce so few Ballon d’Or winners?
This year’s edition of the Champions League has followed the script so far, and unless a major upset occurs in the quarter-finals, then at least one English team will be in the finals for the fifth straight year.
One oft-cited reason for this dominance is that the likes of Man U, Liverpool, and Chelsea have such great spending power that they snap up the best players from around the globe and field untouchable squads of mostly foreign all-stars. Why then, have only two England-based players – Michael Owen in 2001 and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008 – won the Ballon d’Or? If the EPL does have the best players, shouldn’t they be getting more recognition?
This year doesn’t promise very much different, however. Barcelona’s Leo Messi has been waiting in the wings to claim his prize, and with Ronaldo sulking, and Kaka and Torres injured, it seems that this will finally be his year.
For the European journalists who vote for the winner of football’s most prestigious individual accolade, the players of the EPL can do no right, it seems. Domestic achievement is important for candidates of the award, but the most important factors are showcasing offensive talent in the Champions League and success on the international stage.
Just look at 2007, when Kaka couldn’t help Milan past 4th place in the Serie A (despite the absence of Juventus), but his sizzling form in the UCL and for Brazil deservedly saw him earn the award.
Unfortunately, neither of these helps England-based players.
The EPL’s current dominance of the Champions League comes more from stingy defending than from awe-inspiring offenses. When facing non-British opposition in the knockout stages, when it really matters, the Big Four did not concede a goal at home all of last season, and have not yet this season. Although Vidic, Skrtel, Terry and Toure won’t be hailed the best player in the world this year, their massive contributions keep the UCL a mostly British affair.
Maybe more importantly, on the international level, the stars of the most successful teams do not tend to have England-based players. While there may be more Argentines and Brazilians playing in the EPL these days, players like Kaka, Messi or Ronaldinho in his prime have stayed in Italy or Spain. Further, successful European nations like Italy, Germany, and Spain always have squads based strongly in their home countries.
The same is true of the Three Lions, but it has been often theorized that the high numbers of foreign stars in the EPL actually cause England to under-perform on the international stage.
The quality is undoubtedly there: Torres, Fabregas, Rooney, Gerrard, Ronaldo, etc. can all win the Ballon d’Or. This year probably belongs to Messi. But if the EPL continues to rule the UCL roost, and England-based players continue to have success in the Copa America, European Championship, and World Cup, then the journalists should acknowledge this strength by giving the trophy to Premiership footballers more often.
I dont understand why Thierry Henry never won it when playing for Arsenal.
Hi Sebastien, good article.
Well, this is one of those points where you have to take a step back from the team you support and look at things with an honest and balanced view. Look at Ronaldo’s performances from June onwards, no where near the level he was at in the first six months of the year, but he still claimed the award in December. There is no doubt, that Messi has been in scintilating form for Barca this year, along with Ribery, probably the most consistent performer in Europe. Messi has produced for Club and country in every competion this season, as has Ribery, game after game.
The Premiership may regard itself as the best league in the world, but does it truly have the greatest players in the world? If you draw up an honest list of the top 20 in football, how many of them play in England? 3, 4 maybe 5 at a push? Look at 2006, it was Cannavaro’s performances for Italy and Juve that won the award really, and it’s at International level that usually sorts the wheat from the chaff.
England’s top players have consistently failed to deliver in tournament after tournament, and that will always count against them in the voting but could we honestly say that other than Gerrard’s recent form, the Premier league could offer another serious contender for the title this year? Next year, with the World Cup coming up, Englands best will have an opportunity to go for broke in South Africa and repeat Michael Owens triumph of 2001. Messi has already got the award in the bad for me already for 2009 in my opinon.
ok so you posed a questioned and then answered it. great job, not really.
I guess my point was that the strengths of the Premier League aren’t being valued by journalists when in the UCL, they speak for themselves. Just because the EPL isn’t loaded with playmakers doesn’t mean that Europe’s journalists should ignore the best players in the most dominant league, even if they don’t occupy the classic no. 10 position or score brilliant goals. I think it’s hard for defensive players to win these awards because as you said, the international stage is where everyone looks. Over the course of a full season, it’s a little easier to say that in 2004-05, for example, Claude Makelele was Chelsea’s best. (Mourinho said that.) But over a few international qualifiers, friendlies, etc, it’s a lot harder to claim that the defensive type is the most important because consistency is the entire point of a defensive game. It’s only in a major cup competition, like the World Cup or Euro or Copa America when a defense stands out as tops, like Italy in 2006, that a player Cannavaro will get recognized.
Gaffer, can you start a site for the scottish premier league? or include it into this site? i think its a very interesting league but there arent many blogs that cover it.
I agree, Makelele was imperious over 3 or 4 years and never got a look in. A fabulous player
What’s the chance of a player winning it more than once?