It was the Ballon d’Or ceremony last night, but it was an underwhelming show from an Arsenal perspective – at least the men’s team.
Unlike last year, when four players from the club made it into the final 30, there was only one representative for the Gunners on the list last night: Declan Rice.
However, with the team’s development and the club’s long-term ambitions, there may well be more stars who make that list in the coming seasons.
Moreover, there is even a certain talent within the squad who could end up being Arsenal’s first winner of the award, and no, we aren’t talking about the incredible Bukayo Saka.
Arsenal stars at the Ballon d’Or
So to find the first Arsenal player to feature on a final Ballon d’Or list, we have to go back to 1979, when Liam Brady was nominated and finished seventh after helping the club win the FA Cup and becoming the first foreign player to win the PFA Players’ Player of the Year.
Things really began to pick up in the 1990s, with David Seaman, Marc Overmars, and Kanu all picking up won nomination each, while Dennis Bergkamp finished fourth in 1997 and eighth the following year.
Moving into the 2000s, we get to the man most would consider to be the Gunners’ greatest ever player: Thierry Henry.
Unsurprisingly, then, the Frenchman was a regular feature on Ballon d’Or lists during his pomp.
In fact, the multiple Premier League winner would feature on every list from 2000 to 2007 and came closest to winning the whole thing in 2003 when he finished second to Pavel Nedved.
Moreover, while the Juventus star was a brilliant player, many still believe it should have been the Les Ulis-born superstar who won the award that year.
It would be Cesc Fàbregas who’d be the club’s best representative in the competition when Henry left, earning five nominations between 2007 and 2011 before leaving for Barcelona himself.
Since 2012, only ten players have been nominated for the Gunners in the final, with four of those coming last year and two the year before.
In other words, Arsenal are finally starting to see their players recognised by the rest of the world again, and we have a feeling they may also have a future winner in their midst, and no, we are not talking about Saka.
Arsenal’s future Ballon d’Or winner
So, it should be said that, given his performances over the last few years and the fact he still put up 26 goal involvements in an injury-riddled campaign last season, there is every chance Saka could find himself holding the Ballon d’Or one day.
However, in this instance, the potential future winner we’re thinking of is none other than Max Dowman.
Yes, while it’s still absurdly early in the teenager’s career to be talking about such things, it remains true that it feels as if the sky is the limit for what he could achieve in the game.
After all, it’s hard to think of a 15-year-old ever being as highly rated as he is in the Premier League, and on top of that, he’s been compared to Lamine Yamal, who many predict to win at least one Ballon d’Or in his career.
For example, respected talent scout Jacek Kulig has made the bold claim that he is the “most exciting prospect” he has seen “since Lamine Yamal.”
It’s not hard to see why Kulig would say such a thing when you take a look at the Hale Ender’s numbers from last season.
In just 23 appearances across a number of youth teams, totalling 1945 minutes, he scored 19 times and provided five assists for good measure.
Dowman in 24/25
Appearances
23
Minutes
1945′
Goals
19
Assists
5
Goal Involvements per Match
1.04
Minutes per Goal Involvement
81.04′
In other words, the “ridiculous” phenomenon, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, averaged 1.04 goal involvements per match, or one every 81.04 minutes.
Moreover, he has already made several appearances for the first team, including two competitive ones, in which he earned an assist for winning a penalty when Leeds United couldn’t stop him without fouling him.
Finally, Arteta and Co. decided to include him in the Champions League squad this year, so if he makes an appearance before the turn of the year, he’ll be the youngest player to ever grace the competition – not even Yamal had that record.
Ultimately, while it is really too early to be talking about things like this, it genuinely feels like Arsenal have a world-class superstar in the making in Dowman, and therefore someone who could one day win the Ballon d’Or.
