7 AFRICAN PLAYERS WHO SHOULD HAVE WON THE BALLON D’OR

We know as a matter of fact that there are those African footballers who, with their tremendous performances in their time we expected them to have won the Balon d'Or.

Apart from George Weah who won the Balon d'Or in 1995, no African player has been able the break the record till date. You'll agree with me that the below mentioned players we super in their play and deserved the award. Read down.

1. KANU NWANKWO (NIGERIA/AJAX 1996)

Kanu drove the Nigerian U-23 national team to win the first most memorable gold medal in the Summer Olympic men's football competition in 1996 in Atlanta, USA.

He won the African Footballer of the Year award two times in 1996 and 1999 yet never guaranteed the Africa Cup of Nations title with the Super Eagles.

He might have won the honor in 1996 given his accomplishments with Nigeria and Ajax 1996 where he won the UEFA Champions League were if not for a specific Germany legend called Mathias Sammer.

2. MOHAMMED SALAH (EGYPT/LIVERPOOL 2018)

Mohamed Salah was likewise released to the world in merciless design when he scored an amazing 44 goals in the 2017/18 season, taking Liverpool to the Champions League final which they lost to Real Madrid.

He won the African Players of the Year Award, PFA Players' Player of the Year and BBC African Footballer of the Year yet missed the mark on the Ballon d'Or stage where he completed 6th.

He was back again in 2019 after his 27 goals in all rivalries drove the Reds to Champions League and UEFA Super Cup magnificence yet passed up a great opportunity, completing fifth this time.

3. ABEDI PELE AYEW (GHANA/MARSIELLE 1993)

A legend of African football, Abedi Pele Ayew was the primary African player to verge on winning the Ballon d'Or even before George Weah.

A trailblazer of African footballers in Europe, the previous midfielder played for clubs in Italy, Switzerland and Germany yet his spell in France made him a commonly recognized name.

Pele played for Lyon and Marseille and it was his spell with the last option that he won the Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League title.

He was named Man of the Match in Marseille's Champions League prevail upon Milan and was among the most noteworthy set players in the World Player of the Year casting a ballot that year.

4. RIYAD MAHREZ (ALGERIA/LECIESTER CITY 2016)

The year 2016 was the second the world was acquainted with Riyad Mahrez. The Algerian had an urgent impact as Leicester City paralyzed the football world by raging to the EPL title when everybody anticipated that they should be battling transfer.

Mahrez scored 17 goals and was named African Footballer of the Year, BBC African Footballer of the Year, PFA Players' Player of the Year however passed up the Ballon d'Or which went to Cristiano Ronaldo, the Algerian completing seventh in the rankings.

5. DIDIER DROGBA (IVORY COAST/CHELSEA 2006/2010)

Didier Drogba has won the African Footballer of the Year award on two events (2006 and 2009) and drove the Elephants to their most memorable Fifa World Cup in 2006.

Somewhere in the range of 2006 and 2010, he could make a case for be the best striker on the planet however regardless of his mainland wins, he was never considered for the Ballon d'Or.

6. SAMUEL ETO (CAMEROON/BARCELONA/MILAN 2005/2010)

The Cameroonian came powerfully close in 2005 when he came third in the FIFA World Player of the honors. He is the most brightened African player ever, having won the African Player of the Year award a record multiple times (2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010).

In 2015, he got the Golden Foot Award for his accomplishments in football. One of the most amazing strikers ever, Eto'o dominated all that in the match put something aside for the World Cup during is time at FC Barcelona and Inter Milan and is the main African to lift the Champions League 3 times.

7. SADIO MANE (SENEGAL/LIVERPOOL 2019)

Many accept he merited more at the 2019 Ballon d'Or celebration. The Senegalese winger was by a wide margin the best EPL player in 2018/19 when his 26 goal in all competitions drove Liverpool to UEFA Champions League and UEFA Super Cup brilliance as well as other participants wraps up in the EPL and Africa Cup of Nations.

Nonetheless, Mane didn't come to the platform as he was fourth subsequent to collecting 347 votes and was pipped by possible champ Lionel Messi (686 votes) with Liverpool partner Virgil van Dijk second (679 votes) and Juventus genius Cristiano Ronaldo who had 476 votes.

Hope you found this interesting and knowledgeable. Make your remarks in the comment box. Tanchu!

#ChileoNation #Sports #SportsNews #Football #InfluencerOnBoombuzz