9 months ago
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Brentford boss Thomas Frank believes one top England star could win the Ballon d'Or - and it's not Jude Bellingham.
Frank led Brentford to the Premier League in 2019 and has helped them become a settled side in England's top tier ever since.
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So the Danish coach knows a thing or two about English players now - and he has revealed who he believes is the most likely from Blighty to win the Ballon d'Or.
But it is not Bayern Munich star Harry Kane who has caught his eye, or even Bellingham, who has already been called one of the best players in the world at the age of 20.
Instead, Frank believes that Manchester City star Phil Foden could be England's best hope of winning the Ballon d'Or.
When Brentford faced City two weeks ago, the 23-year-old was in sensational form as he scored a hat-trick at the Gtech Stadium.
In total, Foden has scored five times against the Bees in five games and his trophy cabinet is outrageous at his age, having won five Premier League titles, four League Cups, two FA Cups and one Champions League trophy.
"Foden is a very good player, for me he is the closest England will get to winning a Ballon d'Or in the future," Frank said.
"He can influence the game in so many ways, the last game against us he got on the end of three situations and scored three goals.
"He is a very good dribbler and works very hard for the team.
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"I don't know him but looking from the outside has a good mentality, he is very good and is playing regularly for one of the best teams in the world.
"When I watch him play I like him a lot as a player."
Emmanuel Petit insists Jude Bellingham is ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane, and is the best player in world football right now
Only three English players have ever won the Ballon d'Or, the last being Michael Owen in 2001 when he was with Liverpool.
Kevin Keegan landed the award in 1976 and 1977 while Stanley Matthews won it in 1956.
Brentford travel to the Etihad Stadium to face the Premier League champions on Wednesday night, live and exclusively on talkSPORT, in what could be a tough night for Frank.
But the west London outfit were the last side to beat City home and away in the Premier League, doing so last season - also becoming the last side to beat them at the Etihad as well.
