‘He’s shining’… Coach says 23-year-old West Ham player will win the Ballon d’Or one day

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I think it’s fair to say that not many fans are expecting a West Ham United player to win the Ballon d’Or in their lifetime.

West Ham’s academy is famous for producing rich talent, but it hasn’t quite provided a Ballon d’Or winner just yet.

Bobby Moore came close in 1970, finishing in second place to Bayern Munich’s Gerd Muller.

But when looking at players of the modern era, perhaps Declan Rice, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand are the best of them.

That being said, it’s a player that West Ham have signed recently that one coach has now tipped for a Ballon d’OR win.

Speaking via The Athletic, Mohammed Kudus’ former coach Jeremy Seethal, who coached the midfielder at the Right to Dream academy in Ghana, thinks anything is possible for the forward.

With Kudus currently with Ghana at AFCON, Seethal was convinced that the West Ham man will soon be the best African player.

Seethal then tipped Kudus for the footballing world’s most prestigious prize in the future.

He said: “Give it two years, Kudus will be the best African player. I’m confident one day he will win the Ballon d’Or.

“Everyone has seen his growth. Now he’s shining at the highest level. He’s a superstar.”

Former coach backs West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus to win the Ballon d’Or

Whilst one or two West Ham fans may think Seethal is getting slightly carried away, there is definitely merit to his praise.

Kudus always looked like a big coup for West Ham in the summer.

Respectfully, Kudus was linked with much bigger clubs, he was already starting to outgrow an impressive Ajax side.

Of course, David Moyes will really miss the Ghanaian whilst he’s away this month, especially considering injuries to Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta.

Kudus has been outstandingly good for West Ham, he didn’t take long to settle at all, but a Ballon d’OR nomination doesn’t look around the corner just yet.

Perhaps Seethal does then expect Kudus to use West Ham as a stepping stone in his career – even if Moyes may think otherwise.

That being said, it seems as if West Ham could now be lining up a very smart piece of business to boost their squad in January.