The Pride of London
Fansided

Ballon d’Or power rankings: Can Chelsea finally boast a winner?

By Subhrajit Chowdhury

Chelsea's Italian midfielder Jorginho reacts after scoring his penalty in the penalty shoot out during the UEFA Super Cup football match between Chelsea and Villarreal at Windsor Park in Belfast on August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea's Italian midfielder Jorginho reacts after scoring his penalty in the penalty shoot out during the UEFA Super Cup football match between Chelsea and Villarreal at Windsor Park in Belfast on August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
Manchester City’s Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (C) celebrates after he scores their third goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in London on January 3, 2021. (Photo by ANDY RAIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Manchester City’s Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (C) celebrates after he scores their third goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in London on January 3, 2021. (Photo by ANDY RAIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

5. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

Man City superstar and former Chelsea flop, Kevin De Bruyne, once again showed the world why he is considered one of the best playmakers of the modern generation. The 30-year-old had a wonderful season with the Citizens and went on to win two more trophies. Not only did they win the Premier League with ease, but they also picked up yet another Carabao Cup trophy, as well. De Bruyne might have not scored a lot of goals, but he was directly involved in 28 goals last season.

He is one of the most influential players of this generation, and his vision is comparable to a prime Mesut Ozil. Under Pep Guardiola’s guidance, he has become an unstoppable machine. The Belgian picked up his second PFA Player’s Player of the Year award last season, as well. This was his second best player award in a row and he seems to be the most talented player in the Premier League. However, he can only find himself in fifth-place due to the lack of European glory.

In the match against Chelsea, N’Golo Kante definitely got the better of him throughout the game, and the usually calm Belgian looked quite frustrated. Things did not get any better as he was then injured after a collision with Antonio Rudiger and he was forced into a substitution. His Euros campaign was decent however, Belgium was the favorite to win and it failed to do that. The quarterfinals loss against Italy really hurt De Bruyne’s chances of winning the coveted award.

Not only did he have little-to-no impact in the match against Chelsea in the UCL final, but he also failed to have a successful Euros campaign with Belgium, a team that is considered the best in the world at the moment. He managed to score once and provided two assists in the tournament, however, the Red Devils once again failed to lift a silverware. Thus, De Bruyne cannot expect to win the Ballon d’Or this year.

Home/Chelsea FC News