‘He outperformed him, he deserves to win the Ballon d’Or’ — Joe Cole makes honest admission on Chelsea player
Some pundits still believes the Ballon d’Or was rigged as is not been given to right player.
However, Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante finished fifth in the Ballon d’Or awards last year, with Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho completing the top three.
Meanwhile, former Chelsea player Joe Cole has claimed that Kante was deserving of the award following his exploits in the Champions League last season. According to Joe Cole, Kante even had more impact than Jorginho.
Joe Cole told Coral: “I’m going to go with a Chelsea player, having won the Champions League, and say N’Golo Kante. He was overlooked for the Ballon d’Or.”
“I’ve watched him week in, week out and his influence on the team is outstanding. He has missed large chunks of the season through injury and he has been missed. When he has played, he has been outstanding.
“The run-up to the Champions League last season, from the quarter-finals onwards, six out of seven games, including the final, he was the Man of the Match.
“Our eyes are always drawn towards the goalscorers and the technicians, but the influence that man has on his teams is incredible.
“He’ll finish his career with a bucket load of trophies, including the World Cup, and I think he’s probably one of the most outstanding midfielders ever seen. And he got overlooked for the player of the year awards.
“When we talk Jorginho, he won the European Footballer of the Year and obviously had a great season as well. But N’Golo Kante, I feel he actually outperformed him in similar positions.”