⚽️ EPL Boasts 12 Ballon d'Or Nominees

Good morning. We are coasting into the end of the first week of this international break. Today’s newsletter leads off with a look at the EPL’s Ballon d’Or nominees. From there we hit a series of unrelated topics. We think you’ll enjoy the variety.

In the email today:

No Premier League player has won the Ballon d’Or since Cristiano Ronaldo did while he was with Manchester United in 2008. Since then, some guy named Lionel Messi won it seven times (six with Barcelona, one with Paris Saint-Germain) and Ronaldo picked up four more while playing for Real Madrid. Can the EPL break the streak this year?

• Lionel Messi is the favorite to once again win the Ballon d'Or in 2023.

• Manchester City players Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and Rodri are also among the favorites.

• Haaland’s claim is arguably the strongest, as the Norwegian striker led Manchester City to championships in the League Cup, the Premier League, and City’s first-ever Champions League crown.

• The shortlist includes 12 players who participated in the 2022-23 Premier League season.

• There has been turnover, with former City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan now at Barcelona and erstwhile Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane now at Bayern Munich.

Our take: Messi is probably going to win this award, but it’s as much a lifetime achievement thing as it is a legitimate statement of who the best player on the planet was for this 2023 award. Messi did lead Argentina to a World Cup win, but Mbappe outplayed him in that match. If this award does not go to Haaland, it’s only a matter of time before he gets one (assuming he stays at City.)

2) 📉Manchester United’s Transfer Business in the Past Decade Has Been Unfathomably Bad

The list of expensive Manchester United transfer flops is long and undistinguished. Several names come to mind: Paul Pogba, Harry Maguire, Memphis Depay to name just a few. Some were established stars, some were can’t miss prospects. They all, to a degree, missed, and United has bled money as a result.

• CIES Football Observatory conducted a study on the net transfer spending of the 100 most active soccer clubs over the past decade.

• Manchester United has the largest negative balance in transfer spending, accumulating a total of -€1.4 billion from 2014 onwards.

• Many Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, have failed to "break even" in the transfer market.

• Manchester United's tendency to make lavish marquee signings without profitable transfers out is a key factor in their negative balance.

• None of the these three high-profile departures from Manchester United — Paul Pogba (€105M), Romelu Lukaku (€84M), and Ángel Di María (€75M) — were able to recoup a significant portion of their original transfer fees.

Our take: United has been caught for years in the trap of trying to fix their wobbly sides (and restore the club’s glory) by signing one (sometimes two) expensive, splashy players. At first, it worked (sort of). Over time, though, United’s supporters have realized that squad-building takes more than cutting massive checks.

3) ❌ Tweet of the Day: Everything Ends Badly, Or It Wouldn’t End

4) 🗳️ Poll: If it was your call, would you keep VAR or dump it?

Yesterday, 83% of you said you would absolutely take Saudi money.

Have additional thoughts? Reply directly to this email to comment, and see if we include your response tomorrow.

5) 🔗 Link Roundup:

• ⚖️ The pilot of the helicopter that crashed and killed five people including Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was deemed not at fault after an investigation revealed rotor failure.

• 💷 The list of the EPL’s most expensive transfers for each of the last thirteen seasons really runs the gamut.

• 📹️ In a world without VAR, this season’s EPL table would look a little different.

• 💵 Wayne Rooney wanted to sign EPL talent for Major League Soccer’s D.C. United, but was left empty-handed.

• 📊 The all-time Premier League table going back to the inception of the league includes few surprises at the top.

The newsletter today was written by Phil Keidel. Follow Phil on X @philkeidel.

Thanks for reading!