Annual association football award
For the equivalent prize given to the best women ‘s football player, see Ballon d’Or Féminin
Award

The Ballon d’Or ( french pronunciation : [ balɔ̃ dɔʁ ] ( ) ; “ Golden Ball “ ) is an annual football prize presented by French news magazine France Football that is generally regarded as the most esteemed individual award for football players. [ 2 ] It has been awarded since 1956, although between 2010 and 2015, an agreement was made with FIFA, and the prize was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year ( founded in 1991 ) and known as the FIFA Ballon d’Or. however, the partnership ended in 2016, and the award reverted to the Ballon d’Or, while FIFA besides reverted to its own separate annual award The Best FIFA Men ‘s Player. The recipients of the articulation FIFA Ballon d’Or are considered as winners by both award organisations. Conceived by sports writer Gabriel Hanot, the Ballon d’Or award honours the male actor deemed to have performed the best over the previous year, based on vote by football journalists, from 1956 to 2006. [ 3 ] After 2007, coaches and captains of national teams were besides given the right to vote. [ 3 ] in the first place, it was awarded lone to players from Europe and widely known as the European Footballer of the Year prize. In 1995, the Ballon d’Or was expanded to include all players from any origin that have been active at european clubs. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] The award became a global prize in 2007 with all professional footballers from around the world being eligible. [ 6 ]

history

Stanley Matthews of England was the inauguration achiever of the Ballon d’Or. [ 7 ] Prior to 2007, the award was broadly known as the continental european Footballer of the Year award in English linguistic process and much international media. even after 2007, it was normally identified with and referred to by that diagnose because of its origin as a european prize, until it was merged with FIFA ‘s World Player award cementing its new worldwide claim. [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ] [ 11 ] Liberia ‘s George Weah, the alone African recipient role, became the foremost non-European to win the award in 1995, the year that rules of eligibility were changed for the beginning time. [ 5 ] Ronaldo of Brazil became the first South american achiever two years late. [ 5 ] The second principle change in 2007 to include players from all continents did not bring up new winners, as all recipients since then have calm entirely been active in Europe during their win. Lionel Messi has won the award a criminal record seven times, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five. Three players have won the award three times each : Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, and Marco van Basten. With seven awards each, Dutch, German, Argentine and Portuguese players have won the most Ballons d’Or. Players from Germany ( 1972, 1981 ) and the Netherlands ( 1988 ) were the only to take all three top spots in one year, with German ( 1972 ) and particularly italian clubs ( 1988–1990 ) achieving the same feat, including two years entirely made up of AC Milan players ( 1988, 1989 ), a alone commemorate until spanish clubs experienced an unanticipated dominance ( 2009–2012, 2015, 2016 ) and Barcelona ( 2010 ) became the second baseball club with three crown players. Two spanish clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid, besides lead the ranking for employing the most winners, with twelve and eleven wins. [ 12 ] between 2010 and 2015 inclusive, the award was merged with a similar one, the FIFA World Player of the Year award, to create the FIFA Ballon d’Or, which was awarded to the world ‘s best male player before FIFA and France Football decided not to continue the blend agreement. [ 13 ] After 2011, UEFA created the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award to maintain the tradition of the original Ballon d’Or of specifically honouring a football musician from Europe. [ 14 ] Eight players ( Bobby Charlton, Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Paolo Rossi, Zinedine Zidane, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, and Kaká ) have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Cup/ UEFA Champions League, and the Ballon d’Or during their careers. [ 15 ] The prize shows a bias in favor of attacking players, which has increased in late decades. [ 3 ] Over prison term, the award has gone to a more exclusive hardened of leagues and clubs. [ 3 ] Prior to 1995, 10 leagues supplied Ballon d’Or winners, whereas only England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain have supplied winners since 1995. [ 3 ] Spain ‘s La Liga has the most Ballon d’Or winners. [ 3 ] Barcelona and Real Madrid have supplied the most Ballon d’Or winners since 1995. [ 3 ] In 2020, the Group L’Équipe, to which France Football belongs, decided that no award would be given for the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic cutting short the seasons of football clubs worldwide. [ 16 ]

Winners

Key
  double-dagger   This indicates the Ballon d’Or winning player also won the FIFA World Player of the Year or
The Best FIFA Men’s Player award in the same year (available in 1991–2009 and from 2016)

Lionel Messi with seven awards has won the most Ballons d’Or in history. George Weah was the first non-European and first African national team player to win the award.

Wins by player

Cristiano Ronaldo ( left ) and Lionel Messi won a combined 12 out of 13 times from 2008 to 2021.

Michel Platini won three years running ( 1983–85 ) . Johan Cruyff ( left ) and Marco van Basten, both of the Netherlands, each won three times. Note: erstwhile winners are entirely included if they have besides finished second gear or third gear in another year .

Wins by country

Wins by cabaret

extra awards

An honorary award, under the name Super Ballon d’Or, was awarded to Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1989, after he surpassed Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini in France Football ‘s vote. [ 19 ] A decade late, France Football elected Pelé the Football Player of the Century after consulting their former Ballon d’Or recipients. Among the 34 previous winners, 30 cast their votes, while Stanley Matthews, Omar Sívori and George Best abstained, and Lev Yashin had died. Each voter was allotted five votes worth up to five points ; however, Di Stéfano merely chose a first place, Platini a first and second position, and George Weah two players for fifth place. Pelé was named the greatest by 17 voters, receiving about double the number of points earned by the runner-up, Diego Maradona. [ 20 ]
To coincide with the sixtieth anniversary of the Ballon d’Or in 2016, France Football published a reevaluation of the awards presented before 1995, when only european players were eligible to win the award. 12 out of the 39 Ballons d’Or presented during this time period would have been awarded to south american players ; in summation to Pelé and Diego Maradona, Garrincha, Mario Kempes, and Romário were retrospectively recognized as desirable winners. The master recipients, however, remain unchanged. [ 21 ] Maradona and Pelé besides received honorary Ballons d’Ors for their services to football in 1995 and 2013, respectively. [ 22 ] [ 23 ]

Ballon d’Or Dream team

See besides

Notes

References