Champions League

Can Kevin de Bruyne win the Ballon d’Or ?

Can Kevin de Bruyne win the Ballon d’Or ?

Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne needs trophies to win Ballon d’Or – Guardiola

Kevin de Bruyne (left)
De Bruyne has 14 Premier League assists to his name this season – four more than any other player

Kevin de Bruyne needs to win “lots of titles, especially the Champions League” to win the Ballon d’Or, says his Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

However, when asked if the midfielder was playing at a level that made him a contender to be named the world’s best, Guardiola said: “I have no doubt.”

“To be a contender, you have to win [the Champions League], and be there in the latter stages,” added Guardiola.

“But how he played against Leicester it is hard to find better in Europe.”

De Bruyne made three assists in Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Leicester to take his total in the league this season to 14, four more than the next best player.

Guardiola continued: “It is not just one game, it is all season and every three days that he is playing that way.”

Most Premier League assists this season
14: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City) 8: David Silva (Manchester City)
10: Leroy Sane (Manchester City) 7: Dele Alli (Tottenham)
9: Paul Pogba (Manchester United) 7: Riyad Mahrez (Leicester)
8: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Arsenal) 7: Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)

De Bruyne, 26, said: “I do everything to win titles with the team. What happens after is an extra.

“I am very pleased with the way everything is going for me. The way the team is playing makes it easier for me and for them. At the end, if you get an individual honour it is beautiful.”

Speaking on Match of the Day on Saturday, BBC pundit Danny Murphy said De Bruyne was “probably the best passer of the ball I have seen in the Premier League”.

De Bruyne was 14th in the Ballon d’Or rankings in 2017, when Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo won the award for a fifth time.

Ronaldo and Barcelona star Lionel Messi, also a five-time winner, have been the only players to take the honour since Kaka won it in 2007.

In eight of the past 11 seasons, the winner has been part of the Champions League-winning side.

City, who are chasing an unprecedented quadruple (they play in the League Cup final against Arsenal on 25 February and visit Wigan in the fifth round of the FA Cup on 19 February), resume their Champions League campaign on Tuesday with the first leg of their last-16 tie against FC Basel in Switzerland.

They were knocked out by Monaco at this stage last season in Guardiola’s first season in charge, after reaching the semi-finals under Manuel Pellegrini in 2016.

What is the Ballon d’Or?

The Ballon d’Or has been awarded 62 times and is voted for by 173 journalists from around the world.

It has been awarded by France Football every year since 1956, but for six years it became the Fifa Ballon d’Or in association with world football’s governing body and was awarded to the world’s best player.

However, Fifa ended its association with the award in September 2016.

 

 

<div class=”apester-media” data-media-id=”595ad471f2d4938713c389c4″ height=”350″></div><script async src=”//static.apester.com/js/sdk/v2.0/apester-javascript-sdk.min.js”></script>


Click to add a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

eighteen + four =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More in Champions League

What next for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City after UCL final heartbreak?

Babatunde KolawoleMay 31, 2021
UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE LOGO

UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Babatunde KolawoleMay 21, 2021

Everything you need to know about the European Super League and its effect on the UEFA Champions League

Babatunde KolawoleApril 19, 2021
Continental football trophies

Between League Titles And Continental Triumphs: Which Takes More Blood?

Babatunde KolawoleMarch 7, 2021

Au Revoir Ronaldinho

Sean TaylorJanuary 26, 2018

Skenderbeu banned from Europe

Sean TaylorJune 8, 2016

Champions League Highlights

Sean TaylorApril 12, 2016

A Time For Reflection: Wednesday’s Champions League

Emmanuel WonderMarch 18, 2016

Arsenal lack a winning mentality

Sean TaylorMarch 1, 2016