Revealed: 5 debatable individual awards after Palmer wins England's best player

• Chelsea forward Cole Palmer has been named England’s Player of the Year in his first year with the team
• The award has generated controversies on social media, with many rival fans questioning the legitimacy
• Ballon d'Or hopeful Jude Bellingham and past two years winner Bukayo Saka placed second and third

Cole Palmer has scattered social media after he was named England's Player of the Year 2024, with many fans questioning the metric used in determining the winner.

Palmer made his England debut in November 2023 and has featured nine times, scoring two goals, one of which came in the final of the 2024 European Championship.

John Stones presented Cole Palmer with his England's Player of the Year Award. Photo by Eddie Keogh.
Source: Getty Images

Real Madrid midfielder and Ballon d'Or favourite Jude Bellingham placed second, while Bukayo Saka, who won the last two, placed third to complete the top three.

It was not the first time an individual award has generated controversies as fans question if the Manchester City academy graduate had the best individual year of all English players.

Legit.ng looks at five other debatable individual awards.

Five debatable individual awards

1. 2023 FIFA The Best Award

Lionel Messi won the 2023 Ballon d'Or controversially, but not as debatable as the 2023 FIFA Best. He beat Erling Haaland to both awards with his 2022 FIFA World Cup exploits. However, he won the 2022 edition for the same reason. As noted by The Forkball, Messi did not attend the event, nor did he acknowledge the award on social media.

2. 2018 Ballon d'Or

Luka Modric broke the 11-year duopoly of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the Ballon d'Or when he picked up the gold in 2018. Fans raised questions over the award, with France’s Antoine Griezmann seen as a more deserving winner. Some fans claimed Ronaldo could have won if he was still a Real Madrid player.

3. 2013 Ballon d'Or

Ronaldo won the Golden Ball despite a trophyless season at Real Madrid, while Franck Ribery won the treble at Bayern Munich. The Frenchman lamented to La Gazzetta dello Sport that the two-week voting extension denied him the award.

4. 2018 Puskas award

Mohamed Salah scored a goal you'd see every match day, and it won the best goal in 2018 ahead of incredible bicycle kick goals by the Real Madrid duo of Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, both of which came in the UEFA Champions League.

5. 2010 Ballon d'Or

Messi won the 2010 Ballon d'Or ahead of Barcelona teammates Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. The Argentina captain failed to score at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, while the Spaniards won the tournament. Dutch attacker Wesley Sneijder, who won the treble with Inter Milan and reached the World Cup final, was another worthy choice.

Fans question Palmer’s award

Legit.ng reported that fans reacted to Palmer's award, claiming the Chelsea star robbed Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham of his deserved trophy.

The bone of contention was that the 22-year-old started all seven games at the 2024 UEFA European Championship on the bench despite scoring in the final.

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Source: Legit.ng