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The Ballon d’Or vote always stirs up debate and the 2025 edition was no different after Monday’s ceremony in Paris.English players have traditionally been overlooked for football’s greatest indi...

The four English players to finish top 10 in the Ballon d’Or since 2015

The Ballon d’Or vote always stirs up debate and the 2025 edition was no different after Monday’s ceremony in Paris.

English players have traditionally been overlooked for football’s greatest individual honour, with just four – Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen – having ever claimed the Ballon d’Or.

It’s been 24 years since Owen claimed the last of those wins for England, while just four English players have featured in the top 10 of the vote across the last decade.

The four English players to finish top 10 in the Ballon d’Or since 2015

Jamie Vardy – 8th (2016, Leicester City)

Jamie Vardy finished eighth in the 2016 vote following his role in Leicester City’s historic season. Vardy scored 24 league goals as Leicester won the Premier League title, in one of sport’s greatest shock successes.

The Foxes had started the season as relegation favourites, having narrowly avoided the drop the previous season. Backed by Vardy’s goals, Claudio Ranieri’s side were crowned English top-flight champions for the first time in their history.

Vardy, who won the FWA Footballer of the Year, finished eighth in the vote, one position below Leicester teammate Riyad Mahrez.

Harry Kane – 10th (2017 and 2018, Tottenham Hotspur)

There was some outrage that Harry Kane finished the 2025 vote in 13th place, despite a brilliant season at Bayern Munich. Kane scored 41 goals for club and country in 2024/25, leading Bayern to the Bundesliga title.

It means his highest placing remains 10th, achieved in 2017 and 2018. He won the Premier League’s Golden Boot during the first of those successes, and the 2018 World Cup Golden Boot as England reached the semi-finals in Russia. For a footballer who has been recognised as one of the world’s best forwards for a decade, his highest-ever ranking appears low.

Jude Bellingham – 3rd (2024, Real Madrid)

Jude Bellingham has come closer than any other Englishman to winning the Ballon d’Or across the last decade. Bellingham finished third in 2024, following a stunning debut season at Real Madrid. The midfielder was named La Liga Player of the Season after scoring 19 league goals for the Spanish side.

Jude Bellingham has been voted La Liga's Player of the Season in his first year in Spain!

It's not difficult to see why Real Madrid fans already love him! https://t.co/wToWIAlR75 pic.twitter.com/8MOtXBzvNQ
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 29, 2024

His performances helped Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double, but he finished behind Rodri and teammate Vinicius Junior in the final Ballon d’Or vote.

Cole Palmer – 8th (2025, Chelsea)

Cole Palmer ended this year’s awards in eighth, the highest rank of any English player. Palmer scored 18 goals in all competitions for Chelsea, who won both the Europa Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup.