It was the Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday, and it was a mixed night for Chelsea’s men’s team.
On the one hand, there was only one representative from the club in the final 30 players, but on the other hand, Cole Palmer was as high up as eighth.
The Blues have never actually had a player win the award while on their books, but they’ve had a number come incredibly close, like Frank Lampard and Jorginho.
However, there is a player in the current squad who could become the first Chelsea player to win it while plying his trade at Stamford Bridge, and we aren’t talking about the incredible Palmer or even Alejandro Garnacho, as much as he probably thinks he will get it at some point.
Chelsea at the Ballon d'Or since 2021
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown in football, there was no Ballon d’Or ceremony in 2020.
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So the first ceremony of the 2020s was held in 2021, and it was a great one for Chelsea.
With them being the reigning Champions League champions at that point, the Blues had five players on their books who made it into the final 30, with Jorginho coming third.
However, with the 21/22 season not exactly going their way, the West Londoners’ presence at the following year’s ceremony was dramatically reduced to just a single player: Antonio Rüdiger.
Things worsened in 2023, as not a single player from the men’s team was included on the final list of nominees, nor did any youngsters make it into the final ten for the Kopa Trophy.
Things have improved somewhat since then, as Palmer was ranked 27th last year and eighth this year; however, in both cases, he was the only representative for the men’s team.
With all of that said, there is a certain youngster in the current squad who has a genuine chance at winning the award for Chelsea, and we aren’t talking about the Englishman nor the recently signed Garnacho.
Chelsea's future Ballon d'Or winner
So, the first thing to say is that while we do not really think Garancho will ever be good enough to win the Ballon d’Or, nor has he shown us anything to suggest otherwise, Palmer might.
After all, the Englishman has featured in the final shortlist twice now and looks to be getting back to his best.
However, in this instance, we are talking about another player altogether who could be Chelsea’s first winner of the award: Estevao.
The West Londoners beat several other top sides to his signature in the summer of 2024, but due to his age, he had to wait another year to officially join up with Maresca’s squad.
During his time with Palmeiras, the 18-year-old wonderkid amassed an impressive tally of 27 goals and 15 assists in 83 appearances, totalling 5,610 minutes.
Appearances
83
Minutes
5610′
Goals
27
Assists
15
Goal Involvements per Match
0.50
Minutes per Goal Involvement
133.57′
In other words, he maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.97 games, or every 133.57 minutes.
Such a rate of return would be incredibly impressive for a seasoned attacker, but coming from a teenager, it’s out of this world.
It goes a long way in lending credence to respected analyst Ben Mattinson’s claim that the Franca-born gem is a “future Ballon d’Or winner.”
On top of his exploits back home, the dynamic winger has already looked dangerous in his short Chelsea career.
Coming off the bench, he’s been a constant threat, and then during his first Premier League start against West Ham United, he provided a brilliant assist for Joao Pedro.
Finally, he has also already won seven senior caps for Brazil, in which he’s scored his first international goal.
Ultimately, while Chelsea have a host of brilliant players, we think Estevao could well be their first-ever Ballon d’Or winner.
