The Ballon d’Or (French) meaning “Golden Ball,” is an annual football award presented by ‘France Football’, a French Sports magazine. It was created by France Football’s chief magazine writer, Gabriel Hanot, who asked his colleagues to vote for the player they considered the best in Europe. The award ceremony is typically held in Paris, France, the home of France Football, the awarding body.
NOTABLE ADJUSTMENTS.
It has been awarded since 1956 and is considered one of the most prestigious individual awards in the sport. The award is presented to the best football player of the world. Initially, it was only open to European players at European clubs but expanded in 1995 to include all players at European clubs. In 2007, it then started to include players from around the world regardless of club or nationality.
Jean-Pierre Papin became the first player to win the award while playing for a club (Marseille) that had never won the European Champions League in 1991. George Weah (AC Milan) and Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain), are the only two players to win the Golden Ball award while playing for a club outside Europe. George Weah, from Liberia, is the first non-European and the only African player to win the award in 1995.
FIFA AND Ballon d’Or.
In 2010, the Ballon d’Or merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year award to become the FIFA Ballon d’Or, but this partnership ended in 2016, and they became separate awards again. Their agreement had expired and they did not renew it, rather they went back to their separate and different awards.
WOMEN’S GOLDEN BALL.
In 2018, the Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s Ballon D’or) was introduced to honor the world’s best female football player, with Ada Hegerberg from Norway being the inaugural winner. Alexia Putellas is the only woman to win the award twice.
NOTABLE ACHIEVERS.
Lionel Messi holds the record for winning the most Ballon d’Or awards, having won it eight times. Cristiano Ronaldo won it five times. Luka Modric’s win in 2018 ended a decade-long dominance by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo Nazário won the award at 21 years old in 1996, making him the youngest winner of the Ballon d’Or.
Lev Yashin is the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d’Or, which he did in 1963. Fabio Cannavaro was the last defender to win the award, which he did in 2006 following Italy’s World Cup victory. The first defender to win was Franz Beckenbauer.
COVID 19.
In 2020, the Ballon d’Or was not awarded for the first time since its inception in 1956 due to the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting the football calendar. However, the “Dream Team,” a special award recognizing the best players at each position over the award’s history was selected.
HOW TO VOTE.
Votes for the Ballon d’Or are cast by international sports journalists, with one representative per country, who select their top five players. The voting is based on individual and team achievements as well as skills. The player with the most points wins.