The Ballon d’Or was watched by millions around the world last night.
The award ceremony has become one of the biggest dates in the footballing calendar over the last decade or so.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have helped to leverage the prestige of the Ballon d’Or to what it is today.
Ousmane Dembele beat Lamine Yamal to the award after a sensational season with Paris Saint-Germain, helping them to win the Champions League.
Here’s why Everton would’ve watched it through gritted teeth.
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Everton once rejected chance to sign now Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele
Quite remarkably, Everton actually rejected the chance to sign Ousmane Dembele back in January 2022, when he was struggling at Barcelona.
Dembele was being linked with a sensational loan move to Goodison Park, however, Everton chiefs decided to focus on signing a midfielder instead.
The Toffees ended up signing Dele Alli and Donny van de Beek, and neither of those loan deals worked out at all.
A few years later, Dembele is now regarded as the best player on the planet, so Everton will surely regret that transfer blunder.
Everton also wanted Vitinha in the past
Everton also had interest in Vitinha in the past, as they were exploring a deal to sign the then-Porto midfielder in 2022, according to 90min.
The PSG star came third in the Ballon d’Or rankings, so it’s yet another what could’ve been signing for the Toffees.
The recruitment team has all changed from then, so there should be fewer blunders in the forthcoming windows.
This summer transfer window just gone was a really encouraging start under the new structure led by CEO Angus Kinnear.
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