John Terry has already named ex-Chelsea player who ‘deserved’ Ballon d’Or ahead of Lionel Messi

Former Chelsea captain John Terry once named an “under-the-radar” player he felt should’ve won the Ballon d’Or – and it’s not Frank Lampard.

Terry, 44, came tenth in the race for the Ballon d’Or in 2005, having helped Chelsea secure the Premier League during the 2004/05 campaign with a then-record total of 95 points.

However, he likely had no complaints when he saw Barcelona and Brazil icon Ronaldinho pick up the coveted prize.

To this day, a Chelsea player has never won football’s most sought-after individual accolade, but the former England defender has already claimed that one of his former Blues teammates should’ve won the award.

And given the fact that he played with the likes of Didier Drogba, Lampard, and Eden Hazard during his time in west London, as well as icons such as Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes with England, you may be thinking it was one of the aforementioned players.

But it was another of his former teammates.

The man in question was instrumental in Chelsea winning the Premier League in 2016/17, having played 35 out of the 38 games that campaign.

Terry described his former teammate N’Golo Kante as being “like 11 players on his own” when speaking about the France international in 2021.

“What he does, he goes so under the radar,” Terry told Stadium Astro. “He is such a top-class player.

“I’d love to go see him win the Ballon d’Or or get the appreciation that I feel he deserves.

N'Golo Kante won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 (Credit:Getty)

“He’s such a humble guy. He just goes about his business and keeps out of any trouble.

“He’s been a great asset for the football club, and we are very lucky to have him at Chelsea for sure.”

Kante, who is now 34 and at Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad, came fifth in the Ballon d’Or race in 2021, having helped Chelsea win the Champions League under the guidance of then-head coach Thomas Tuchel during the 2020/21 campaign.

And Terry was not the only player to praise Kante, with international teammate Paul Pogba explaining how he has “everything” when speaking to French TV [via ESPN] in 2021.

"Kante's got everything,” said Pogba. “He's good technically, with a good passing quality, and he's everywhere on the pitch. He runs for 11 players. I even say he appears out of the ground! You don't see him, and 'poof,' he's there! He gets the ball, he can finish. He's everywhere. To have a player like that by your side, what more can you ask for?"