Only four British players can claim to have won the Ballon d’Or, football’s most coveted individual award. Stanley Matthews, the legendary English outside right, kicked off the Ballon d’Or era in 1956.
Kevin Keegan is the only British player to win the award twice, doing so while playing for Hamburg in Germany in 1978 and 1979. The last British Ballon d’Or winner was England icon Michael Owen, who won the award in 2001 at the peak of his career.
That demonstrates how tough it is to fight for the Golden Ball, however several British athletes have come close, standing proudly on the three-man podium but not in first place. It doesn’t help that no international team has won a major prize since England’s 1966 triumph.
With that said, GIVEMESPORT has listed the finest British footballers who have never won the Ballon d’Or. This contains players from England, Scotland, and Wales, with a focus on retiring athletes.
Ranking Factors:
Ability refers to how talented a player was.
Legacy – What they accomplished.
Ballon d’Or history: Have they been nominated or finished in the top three?
Individual successes include goal-scoring records, appearance feats, and distinctive statistics.
15Harry Kane (England)
The only player on this list who is still active today is Harry Kane, a fantastic goalscorer who has evolved into an all-round centre-forward. Tottenham Hotspur’s all-time leading scorer (280) played for the North London club before winning the Bundesliga in 2025, which was well deserved.
Kane, whose best Ballon d’Or finish is tenth, has also been a hero for England, leading the Three Lions to the finals of Euro 2020 and 2024, as well as the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. He won the Golden Boot in that tournament (6) and the European Golden Boot in 2024 (34).
14Gordon Banks (England)
Goalkeepers have a terrible time winning the Ballon d’Or, but Gordon Banks would undoubtedly have been a frequent winner if the award was just given to shot stoppers. He was instrumental in England’s 1966 World Cup victory and won FIFA’s Goalkeeper of the Year award six times during his distinguished career.
Banks was a brilliant goalkeeper, making incredible saves, including the ‘Save of the Century’ to hold Pee at bay during the 1970 World Cup. He is largely regarded as the best goalkeeper in British football history, finishing sixth in the Ballon d’Or competition in 1966.
13John Charles (Wales)
Some British players struggle when a foreign team comes calling, but not John Charles, who excelled in Italy with Juventus as part of ‘The Holy Trident’ attacking three. He was dubbed ‘the Gentle Giant’ due to his professionalism while playing fairly despite his six-foot-two-inch stature.
Charles was incredibly versatile, capable of playing as a fearsome attacker and a massive centre-back, giving him a threat both forward and defensively. One of Wales’ all-time greats, he scored 93 goals for Juventus, winning three Serie A titles and finishing third in the 1958 Ballon d’Or competition.
12Paul Scholes (England)
Ballon d’Or royalties Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Zinedine Zidane are just a few of the numerous football stars who have expressed their respect for Paul Scholes. The Manchester United hero was a gifted midfielder who dominated play during Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure at Old Trafford.
Scholes’ passing range and outstanding football IQ made him a fan favourite, especially among Barcelona players, who frequently demonstrated a Catalan-esque playmaking style. He won 11 Premier League titles and was a member of the Red Devils’ 1999 treble-winning squad, yet strangely, his highest Ballon d’Or result was 17th in 2001.
11Gary Lineker (England)
Another British player who thrived abroad was Gary Lineker, who became a Barcelona legend thanks to his steadiness in front of goal, scoring throughout his career. He won the 1986 World Cup Golden Boot (6) and was a star striker for Leicester City, Everton, and Tottenham.
Lineker was often praised for his clinical finishing, but many people forget how skilled he was at timing runs and finding space on the break. He finished fourth in the 1986 Ballon d’Or competition, demonstrating how popular the famous number nine was on a global scale.
10Gareth Bale (Wales)
Every now and then, a player emerges and completely dominates the Premier League, as Gareth Bale did at Tottenham. The Welsh winger transitioned from left-back to left-winger and put on some of the best performances fans have seen in modern English football.
Bale was unbeatable on that day, using his scorching pace to leave his opponents gasping for air, including Marc Barta. A fourth-place Ballon d’Or finish preceded his transformation into the ideal fit for Real Madrid, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, resulting in tremendous trophy success, including four Champions League crowns.
9Ian Rush (Wales)
Perhaps no striker in Britain was more feared in the 1980s than Ian Rush, who scared defenders with his goal-scoring abilities. Every game at Anfield, whether with his foot or his head, the Welsh striker was expected to score.
Rush was also a big-game performer, with man-of-the-match performances in victories over Real Madrid and AS Roma, the latter of which he scored against in the 1984 European Cup final. He is one of the most influential players in Liverpool history, and his heroics in the 1980s earned him a best Ballon d’Or placing of fourth.
8Paul Gascoigne (England)
If you were presenting the Ballon d’Or as an Oscar for entertaining football fans, you’d most likely read Paul Gascoigne’s name. The great English midfielder was a box office success, a talent at playmaking with dribbling that enthralled fans and got them moving.
Gascoigne’s career contains a slew of memorable British football moments, notably his star turn and tears in Turin. The Tottenham Hotspur star is still one of England’s most celebrated footballers, having finished sixth in the Ballon d’Or in 1990 and winning the Scottish Division title when playing for Rangers.
7Frank Lampard (England)
Frank Lampard is the best goal-scoring midfielder in England, and possibly the world. He is fifth in the Premier League’s all-time goalscoring list (177), which says it all about his ability to get on the scoresheet.
Lampard, who finished eighth in the 2005 Ballon d’Or ceremony, was more than simply a goalscorer; he also had outstanding passing, vision, and enthusiasm, and was willing to assist in defence if necessary. He was instrumental in Chelsea’s first three title victories before leading the club to their first Champions League in 2012.
6Steven Gerrard (England)
One of football’s most perplexing mysteries is how England failed to make a Frank Lampard-Steven Gerrard midfield pairing work. Determining which of the two was superior is a topic for another day, but Liverpool’s historic Champions League-winning captain finished third in the Ballon d’Or that year.
Pele, the late great, famously remarked that Gerrard was the best player over a five-year span, when Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho ruled. That demonstrates how amazingly skilled he was, a jack of all crafts who does outperform Lampard in terms of a well-rounded midfield profile, despite the fact that he never won the Premier League.
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