Thomas Frank says 23-year-old Man City player could actually win the Ballon d’Or one day

Redaction Simon Brett with Srinivas Sadhanand
Published on 2024-02-19 17:30:00

Thomas Frank is a firm believer that Phil Foden is England’s best bet to win the Ballon d’Or in the future. Interestingly, this is not the first time that Foden has been tipped as a potential contender for the prestigious award. In November, two years ago, Michael Owen also identified the 23-year-old as a possible candidate for the Ballon d’Or.

Notably, no player at Manchester City has ever won the Ballon d’Or. In 2023, Eden Hazard expressed his belief that Erling Haaland deserved to win the accolade, as he finished in second place behind Lionel Messi. In the same year, Kevin De Bruyne finished in third place, which at the time was the closest any City player had gotten to winning the award.

Nonetheless, Thomas Frank, ahead of Brentford’s encounter with Manchester City, expressed his confidence in Foden’s ability to win the Ballon d’Or, especially among English players. According to Frank, Foden has the potential and skill to achieve this feat.

He stated, “Phil Foden is a very good player. For me, he’s the closest, I think England get to a potential Ballon d’Or winner in the future. I think he’s got that potential or that level…I think he can influence the game in so many ways. Last game, he got on the end of three situations, scored three goals. He’s very good dribbling, he’s very good. He works very hard. He seems to have a good mentality. I don’t know him personally but looks from the outside to have a very good mentality in terms of working hard. So, he’s very good.”

In consideration of English players currently in the running, Frank asserts that Foden is leading the race, especially when judging by the clubs they play for. He finds that the overall stability and performance of Manchester City is an advantage for Foden when compared to other contenders such as Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane.

Given the current dynamics of the teams these players belong to, and the potential for Manchester City to continue winning major titles, the possibility of Foden winning the Ballon d’Or is a very realistic prospect and should not be a matter of debate.

Read Original article on Manchester City News