How close have Chelsea players come to winning Ballon d’Or award?

No Chelsea player has ever won the Ballon d'Or while representing the club, despite several coming close. Frank Lampard holds the highest finish for a male Chelsea player, finishing runner-up behind Ronaldinho in 2005. In the women's category, Sam Kerr came closest by finishing as the runner-up for the Ballon d'Or Féminin in 2023 behind Barcelona's Aitana Bonmatí.

Other notable top finishes include Didier Drogba finishing fourth in 2007 and Jorginho placing third in 2021 following Champions League and European Championship triumphs. Although Chelsea have never had an active player win the honour, three former recipients—Ruud Gullit, George Weah, and Andriy Shevchenko—played for the club after winning it with AC Milan.