Ranking the 12 England players with the most Ballon d’Or nominations | OneFootball

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Jude Bellingham has won his first Ballon d'Or nomination with many more expected to come over the course of his career as he looks to join an illustrious list of English players to have won many nominations for the prize.

While these players have seen their names put forward for the biggest individual honour within the sport, that is as far as it tends to go with only four English players having actually been named the winner. Some players spend the majority of their careers being good enough to get a mention, but ultimately being beaten to the prize in the end.

Bellingham came within a final day victory of lifting the Bundesliga title with Borussia Dortmund in 2023, in what would have been the club's first league success in a decade. It wasn't to be, however, despite the youngster's incredible midfield performances over the course of the campaign. These displays didn't go unnoticed in the world of football though, as Real Madrid swooped in to sign the now 20-year-old to be the centrepiece of their side for the next decade at least.

That is the plan laid out in front of the former Birmingham City man, and along the way, he could even make it onto this list in future alongside the English players to have received the most Ballon d'Or nominations in history. With that being said, we take a look at all the 12 players in question.

12 Harry Kane - 5 nominations

Being named in the nominees list alongside his international teammate, Kane has now been in contention for the prize on five separate occasions. Bellingham actually assisted a goal for the striker recently in a 3-1 win over Scotland, and the pair will look to do big things for their countries in the coming years. Could an international trophy be the catalyst for either man winning the Ballon d'Or in the future?

11 Bryan Robson - 5 nominations

Robson was a regular nominee during the 80s as he was one of the top players at Manchester United at the time, and a midfielder that is often overlooked in discussions surrounding the best English players in that position. His nominations in 1981, '83, '84, '85 and '87 show his consistency throughout that decade of football, as well as the importance he held at Old Trafford.

10 Frank Lampard - 5 nominations

Lampard was not only nominated in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009, but he was very close to winning the whole thing as he finished behind only Ronaldinho in 2005 which is nothing to feel ashamed of. His ability to arrive in the box at the exact right time was better than anyone at the time, and this is shown by his 211 goals for Chelsea across 13 seasons.

9 Gary Lineker - 5 nominations

Known now for presenting Match of the Day, the 62-year-old was once a brilliant striker for club and country. Having played for Everton, Tottenham and Barcelona as well as his hometown club - Leicester City - Lineker was a clinical goalscorer who was nominated for the huge honour five times in the space of six seasons, including 1986 after winning the World Cup Golden Boot.

8 Peter Shilton - 6 nominations

The legendary goalkeeper had nominations for the Ballon d'Or 12 years apart as the shot-stopper had a very long and storied career. He didn't end up retiring until he was 47 years old as he was determined to reach 1,000 appearances in the sport. Shilton is largely seen as the best or one of the best keepers in England's history.

7 Steven Gerrard - 6 nominations

Champions League success in 2005 against AC Milan saw the Liverpool captain earn his second nomination in 2005, before he went on to earn that honour for the next four successive years. His first time being shortlisted was after he helped his side to a treble in 2001, with one of his Liverpool teammates going on to win the Ballon d'Or that year. Gerrard is still seen as one of the best ever central midfielders in Premier League history even despite his lack of major honours.

6 Michael Owen - 6 nominations

The man in question to win the 2001 Ballon d'Or after a treble success in 2001 was Owen, after the forward was the star of the show during the FA Cup final victory over Arsenal. With his first nomination coming as an 18-year-old in 1998, the former Real Madrid man was a consistent name on the nominee list in the early stages of his career. When considering how many injury issues piled up in his late 20s, there is an argument that Owen would have finished towards the top of this list in an alternate universe.

5 Jimmy Greaves - 6 nominations

While Alan Shearer is well-known to be the all-time top scorer in the Premier League, his tally comes nowhere near that of Greaves, who played well before the competition was rebranded. The former Tottenham and Chelsea talisman bagged 357 goals in 516 games while racking up six nominations for the Ballon d'Or in the process.

4 Bobby Moore - 7 nominations

Captaining his country to their only ever World Cup success is the biggest talking point and achievement of Moore's career. He was seen by many at the time as one of the greatest to ever play the game in his position. The centre-back was ahead of his time with the ability he had on the ball, as well as the inspiring way he led his team. Moore received a very impressive seven nominations due to his longevity at the top of the game.

3 Wayne Rooney - 9 nominations

Rooney was similar to Owen in the sense that he was a world-class talent at an extremely young age after breaking onto the scene at Everton and earning a big move to Manchester United. Until his record was recently broken by Kane, he was the all-time top scorer for England and is still Manchester United's all-time top scorer. Nine nominations is a remarkable feat when taking into consideration that his career slowed down drastically as he hit 30.

2 Bobby Charlton - 9 nominations

Only the second player to win the Ballon d'Or on this list, the Manchester United icon scooped the prize in the same year he played a big part in England's aforementioned World Cup success in 1966. Charlton managed to get his name in the hat for the award on nine occasions from 1960 to 1971 meaning his name would have been as common as Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi at the time.

1 David Beckham - 10 nominations

Beckham got so close to winning the award in 1999 as he finished second place to Rivaldo, in the same year he helped Manchester United to their famous treble. All 10 of his nominations came in the space of 11 years, meaning he only missed out on one occasion in that time period while playing for United and Real Madrid. The English legend was consistently one of the top players in the world even with the injury issues he faced to become the English player with the most nominations ever.