Cole Palmer ranked 25th last month at the annual Ballon d’Or event for the world’s best footballers, but could any of his Chelsea teammates be nominated for the individual prize in the years ahead?
Blues striker Nicolas Jackson, 23, has actually been tipped as a future winner. Kalidou Koulibaly recently claimed Chelsea’s Jackson can win a Ballon d’Or, which is quite a bold claim for the young talent.
In 10 appearances this season, Jackson has scored six goals and created three assists during a fantastic few months. However, there’s still a long jump to the world’s very best centre-forwards.
Alan Brazil says Nicolas Jackson is never winning the Ballon d’Or
TalkSPORT pundit Alan Brazil has laughed off the claim that Chelsea’s Jackson would be a Ballon d’Or winner. While he’s seen improvement in the 23-year-old striker, he thinks he’s miles off the elite level.
When reacting to suggestions that Chelsea’s Jackson could win the Ballon d’Or one day, Brazil told talkSPORT: “Give us a break. When he first came in, I liked him. I thought I made a mistake because he can’t finish, but now he’s finding the back of the net. To be one of the best players in the world takes some doing. I’m sorry he’s not at that level, and he won’t be at that level.”
Gary Neville thinks Chelsea need a better striker than Jackson to eventually win the league title. For the Blues frontman, it’s up to him to prove his doubters wrong and continue his rapid improvement.
He couldn’t have done much more in the first quarter of the season to impress, but now he’s got to keep it up over the course of an entire campaign. With Christopher Nkunku breathing down his neck looking to break into the starting XI, there’s no room for Jackson to take his foot off the accelerator.
Chelsea players who have finished on the Ballon d’Or podium
Palmer had a sensational opening 12 months at Stamford Bridge, which led to him finishing 25th in this year’s Ballon d’Or awards. Chelsea supporters were raging Palmer ranked so low in the Ballon d’Or.
Interestingly, no player in history has ever won the individual accolade while at Chelsea.
Here is a look at the only Blues stars to make the top three at the Ballon d’Or:
| Year | Player | Placing | Winner |
| 2005 | Frank Lampard | 2nd | Ronaldinho |
| 2021 | Jorginho | 3rd | Lionel Messi |
The focus at Chelsea should be on trophies and team success, but there’s definitely the potential for individual rewards to follow with all the young talents.
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