Peter Beardsley Claimed English Ballon d'Or Winner Lacked 'God-Given Talent'

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Newcastle icon Peter Beardsley once claimed an English Ballon d'Or winner lacked 'God-given talent'.

To lift the Ballon d’Or , a footballer has to sit among the very best talents in the game: the crème de la crème, as many would put it. Yet Peter Beardsley, formerly of Newcastle United and Liverpool , has singled out one Englishman who claimed the prestigious prize despite not possessing the same ‘God-given talent’.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi ’s duopoly saw them dominate Ballon d’Or ceremonies for a 15-year period between 2008 and 2023 – but plenty of illustrious names had already conquered the award before two of the greatest footballers of their generation arrived on the scene, including several Englishmen.

Ballon d’Or winners from England are a relatively rare sight: Sir Stanley Matthews became the first in 1956 and remains the oldest player to do so , while Sir Bobby Charlton followed in 1966. Striker-turned-pundit Michael Owen also claimed the honour in 2001.

However, the only Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or twice is Kevin Keegan and, even more impressively, the prolific forward secured the award in consecutive years in 1978 and 1979. That is the player Beardsley feels did not possess the natural gifts of players such as Paul Gascoigne or John Barnes.

Speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo , the former England international, who earned 59 caps for the Three Lions, was asked to build a ‘Perfect XI’ from players he’d shared a pitch with .

As part of that selection, Beardsley, who is widely regarded as one of the most ‘unorthodox’ players in British football history , picked the aforementioned Keegan – alongside striker-turned-pundit Gary Lineker – to lead the line as one of his centre-forwards.

According to Beardsley, Keegan’s relentless work ethic and determination helped him develop into the world’s best footballer twice, despite lacking the instinctive talent that came naturally to some of his fellow Englishmen. He explained:

> “Without being cheeky, Kevin’s game wasn’t about natural God-given talent like Gazza (Paul Gascoigne) or [John] Barnes but because of sheer determination and hard work he made himself into a double European Footballer of the Year.”

“What a superstar,” Hexham-born Beardsley continued before explaining why Keegan remains so highly regarded around St James’ Park. “He is quite rightly worshipped in Newcastle because he turned the club around, firstly as a player and then a manager.”

During the 1983/84 campaign, Keegan and Beardsley featured together on 37 occasions during their respective spells on Tyneside with Newcastle – and their understanding on the pitch was evident, with the pair combining to score 10 goals.

Keegan won both of his Ballon d’Or titles while playing for German side Hamburg, more formally known as Hamburger SV , with the English superstar playing a central role in die Rothosen’s Bundesliga success during the 1978/79 campaign.

Having played during a period when England were regularly falling short of expectations, Keegan may not always receive the same recognition as some of the country’s greatest-ever stars. Nevertheless, his achievements suggest he was every bit as talented – and arguably even more accomplished – than many of those names.

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