Awards ceremony on Monday
©IMAGO
On Monday evening in Paris, the Ballon d’Or will be awarded for the 68th time by the trade magazine “France Football” to the best footballer of the past season. The last winners were Lionel Messi (2023, 2021, 2019), Karim Benzema (2022), Luka Modric (2018) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2017). This time, for the first time in over 20 years, none of these players made it onto the so-called shortlist, which includes the 30 finalists. The favorite for the award is Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior – the most valuable footballer in the world alongside Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. The Royals have seven nominees, the Bundesliga is represented five times.
This is how the Ballon d’Or works
Ten journalists from “France Football” decide which 30 players make it onto the shortlist. When this was announced in early September, the voting window opened to 100 journalists from the 100 nations ranked highest in the FIFA world rankings.
The top 10 are chosen 100 times from the 30 given players, and it depends on the footballer’s placement on the list – the higher, the better. It is trusted that all journalists vote objectively. The journalists who represent their country in the election will only be replaced if they retire or if France Football believes there are electoral irregularities.
These criteria must be taken into account when voting for the Ballon d’Or
Individual success: This includes goals scored, assists and defensive performances during the previous season.
Team success: The titles and tournaments won by the club or national team play a big role.
Fair Play: Behavior on and off the pitch as well as fairness are also taken into account in the evaluation.
Especially due to the point of fair play, there are doubts in the community about the role of Vinicius Junior as the favorite, who is not known as the fairest player in LaLiga. However, his performances in big games for the Royals, winning the championship and the Champions League in the 2023/24 season plus 35 scorer points make him a favorite not only for coach Carlo Ancelotti.
“He will win the Ballon d’Or, but not for what he did tonight, but for what he did in the past and what helped us win the Champions League. These three goals will help him win the next Ballon d’Or,” said Ancelotti after the 5-2 win against BVB. Since 2009, the award has almost always gone to a professional from Real Madrid or Barça – the exception was Messi 2023, who was under contract with Inter Miami.
Trophy, gala ticket for life and possible millions
The winner receives the golden ball, which is made by the jeweler Maison Mellerio – no prize money is included. However, clauses in player contracts that provide for a bonus payment for winning the Ballon d’Or are common practice. Even with top transfers, transferring clubs are happy to include a clause that includes a bonus if their ex-player receives the award at the new club. As a result, the election often indirectly involves millions. In addition to fame and possible bonus payments, the winners receive a lifetime ticket to future awards ceremonies.
