Thierry Henry has named four players who, in his view, would have been worthy winners of the Ballon d’Or, though it seems none of them will claim the prize.
Despite being one of the greatest players of his generation, Henry never won the Ballon d’Or – his highest finish was second place in 2003, behind Pavel Nedved.
The last Frenchman to win the award was Zinedine Zidane in 1998, but 20 years later, Henry stated that a fellow countryman should have received the trophy after France’s second World Cup triumph.
Henry mentioned Raphaël Varane and Antoine Griezmann as worthy winners, as well as “star” Kylian Mbappé for his contribution to Didier Deschamps’ team’s success.
But he also singled out Eden Hazard, with whom he had worked during his time as part of the Belgian national team staff.
“I think it would be a shame if a French player didn’t win the Ballon d’Or, apart from Eden Hazard, because he was outstanding in every World Cup match – in defence and on the counterattack,” Henry told Sky Sports.
“But logically, a French player should win it. Why not Varane? He won the Champions League and was very strong.
“There’s the alien Kylian Mbappé, and also Antoine Griezmann. But I could mention many other players as well.”
Griezmann finished on the podium after a brilliant year, while Luka Modric ended the dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by winning the Champions League and helping Croatia reach the World Cup final.
Like Varane, Hazard retired from football earlier than expected due to injury problems, while Griezmann remains a valuable player for Atletico Madrid, but was not included in the shortlist for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
Mbappé finished third behind Messi and Erling Haaland in 2023 and remains fully capable of winning the award, having scored 44 goals in his debut season at Real Madrid.
However, there is a feeling that the 26-year-old may have missed his ideal moment, given the emergence of new stars such as Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Jr, and Désiré Doué.
