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Chelsea fans might be disappointed after the weekend defeat at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Ballon d'Or ceremony did provide an occasion to take their minds off that. And the club were well represented, both in terms of the men's team and the women, with one winning a historic award on the night, in an achivement that will forever be remembered.
Of course, Cole Palmer was nominated for the Ballon d'Or, largely thanks to his superb performance in the Club World Cup final, as he guided Chelsea to the trophy with a brace and an assist in the 3-0 win. That earned him the seventh spot, right behind Kylian Mbappe. We hope to see the Englishman win it all one day. This was not to be his year though.
One Chelsea player did win though. And see won something that nobody has before her, making some footballing history in the process.
Hannah Hampton won the first-ever Women's Yachine Trophy at the Ballon d'Or. She was rewarded for a season in which she won a domestic treble with Chelsea and the Women's EURO with England. So, it was well deserved to say the very least.
Hampton joined Chelsea in the summer of 2023 from Aston Villa and has proven to be a great signing without a shadow of a doubt. This was a historic win for her, not just for the club but for England as well. We would all like to congratulate her on this occasion.
Other notable events on the night saw Estevao come fourth in the Kopa Trophy race behind Lamine Yamal, Desire Doue and Joao Neves. Not a bad list to be competing with.
Lucy Bronze and Hampton made the top 10 for the Women's Ballon d'Or. Wieke Kaptein was third in the Women's Kopa Trophy race.
Overall, it was a night to remember for Chelsea. Hampton was one of the winners and in the future, we hope to see more on the podium, from both the men's and women's teams. (The pride of London)