Who was the last English player to win the Ballon d’Or – and when was it?

On Monday, a new player will be crowned the best player in the world at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, with three England players nominated for the award.

Football superstars, coaches and dignitaries will descend on London for the inaugural Ballon d’Or ceremony, which will be hosted in the English capital on Monday, October 26, with Kane the frontrunner for the award.

With Kane favorite to win the award, fans may wonder who was the last English player to win the Ballon d’Or. A total of four Englishmen have been named the best player in the world.

You have to go back to the beginning of the century to find the last time an English player won the Ballon d’Or. In 2001, Liverpool starlet Michael Owen was voted the best player in the world, receiving 176 points to beat Real Madrid legend Raul in second place, the striker earned 140 points.

Aged 22 when he received the trophy, Owen helped Liverpool win a treble in the 2000/01 season – the FA Cup, UEFA Cup and League Cup.

The Chester-born striker scored 24 goals – including twice in 10 minutes in the FA Cup final. His electric pace has attracted both attention and praise, with the Liverpool man regarded as one of the most exciting players in the world to watch.

Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard came close to winning the Ballon d’Or in 2005 – the former second and the latter third in the voting. Apart from eventual winner Ronaldinho, the midfield duo were the only players to receive over 100 points in the voting – 148 and 142 respectively.

That was still some distance from Ronaldinho’s total of 225 points.

Kevin Keegan remains the only Englishman to have won the award twice, in 1978 and 1979, before a long wait until Owen received the Ballon d’Or in 2001.

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