Kevin De Bruyne leads list of 9 superb players we can’t believe never won Premier League POTM

Kevin De Bruyne has departed the Premier League for Serie A. Despite being one of the league’s best players, he was somehow never named Player of the Month.

The Belgian spent 10 seasons at Manchester City and even though he was twice named Player of the Year, he never won the award for an individual month.

Here are eight other incredible players who also missed out:

Alisson Becker

Goalkeepers winning Player of the Month awards can be hard things to achieve but considering nine of them have done so in the past, it makes it more surprising Alisson is not one of them.

Considered by many to be one of, if not the, best keeper in Premier League history, the Brazilian has never featured on the monthly list.

He is a two-time winner of the Golden Glove and has kept 85 clean sheets in his 229 appearances but perhaps the month where he stood the best chance of winning it came in May 2021.

With Liverpool needing a goal to achieve Champions League qualification, Alisson went up for a corner and headed home, making him just one of six keepers to score in Premier League history.

The award that month, though, went to Newcastle’s Joe Willock.

Didier Drogba

One of the best strikers in Premier League history never managed to get his hands on this particular award.

Didier Drogba’s first stint at Chelsea was from 2004 to 2012, during which time he scored exactly 100 Premier League goals.

His best season came in 2009-10 when he netted an astonishing 29 in 32 games but even that did not get him the Player of the Month nod.

His Chelsea team-mate Florent Malouda did manage to win it that season, though, for his performances in March.

Phil Foden

Kevin De Bruyne is not the only Manchester City player to have been named Player of the Year despite missing out on the monthly trophy.

Phil Foden picked up the annual gong for the 2023-24 season but has yet to feature on the best of the month list.

Foden had a big drop off in performance last season though, registering just nine goal contributions in the league. He’ll need to rediscover his old form if he wants to break his duck.

N’Golo Kante

Just one of two players in the Premier League era to win the title in successive seasons at different clubs, N’Golo Kante was pivotal to both Leicester’s fairytale win and Chelsea’s triumph the year after.

And yet, Kante has never been awarded the Player of the Month trophy.

Given his role as a holding midfielder, it may come as no surprise that he was not picked the best player in a short timeframe but his performances did earn him Player of the Season in the 2016-17 campaign.

Vincent Kompany

Arguably one of City’s most important players ever, Vincent Kompany was key to four of the club’s title-winning campaigns.

He moved to the Etihad in 2008, staying there for 11 years but during that time he never won the Player of the Month award.

However, he was named Player of the Season for the 2011-12 campaign and was in the PFA Team of the Year on three occasions.

Ashley Cole

Even 11 years after he left, Ashley Cole is still considered by many to be the greatest left-back in Premier League history.

Starting at Arsenal he won two league titles before moving to Chelsea in 2006, adding another Premier League winners medal to his collection.

He was named in the PFA Team of the Year on four occasions and yet never earned the Player of the Month award.

In 2024, he was added to the Premier League Hall of Fame, along with Andy Cole and John Terry.

Rodri

Even being a Ballon d’Or winner does not guarantee you a Player of the Month award as Man City’s lynchpin Rodri shows.

The Spaniard’s efforts in the 2023-24 campaign as well as his exploits with Spain saw him named the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, but he has not yet won the Player of the Month prize.

Returning from injury, Rodri is expected to play a big role in City’s push for the title next season so may well end his drought.

QUIZ: Can you name Man City’s 25 most expensive transfers in history?

Patrick Vieira

Roy Keane may have earned the award on two occasions but his Arsenal nemesis Patrick Vieira was not able to repeat that feat.

During Arsenal’s Invincibles season, three players were successful – including Thierry Henry twice – but Viera missed out every time.

Still, Viera was named in the PFA Team of the Year six times and won Premier League Player of the Year in 2001.

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