One of the most coveted honours in football happens to be the Ballon d’Or award. After making its debut in 1956, the annual award, presented by the French Magazine (France Football), is reserved for an exceptional player of a particular year, both in the men’s and women’s category. For footballers, around the globe, the reward is the ultimate recognition of their talents and skillsets. The event that got cancelled last year will eventually be held on November 29 at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. This year a 30-man shortlist has been prepared, comprising the names of some usual as well unusual suspects. Well, it would be unfair to make any speculation regarding the winner right now, so let us explore some interesting facts regarding the Ballon D’Or Award over the years.
A Messi-Ronaldo Bastion
For the past several years, the Ballon d’Or event has been owned by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. They have won in 11 of the last 12 editions. This exemplifies the dominance of the players in the world of soccer and proves why they are considered the GOAT in football, especially in the last decade or so. Messi has won the honors 6 times and Ronaldo 5 times and the current edition will be their 13th in terms of their appearance in the top three positions, Michel Platini comes a close second by breaking into the top 3 on 5 different scenarios. And Luka Modric from Croatia is the only other player apart from the Argentine and Portuguese legends to get the award since 2008.
German Players In Top 3 On Two Occasions
It is an incredible feat for any country to end up with three players on the top 3 of the Ballon awards but on two occasions speaks volumes about the glorious tradition of football in a country. Germany achieved the rare distinction in the years of 1972, 81. The players to finish in the top 3 of ’72 and ’81 were Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Gunter Netzer; Rummenigge, Paul Breitner and Bernd Schuster. Three Netherlands players also made it to the top 3 in 1988: Van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard.
The Sole African Player To Get The Award
The award was initially reserved only for European players. However, in 1995 the restrictive norm was eliminated to make it more inclusive. This tweak in the rules made George Weah, an African player, eligible to win the award in 1995. He remains the only African to win the Ballon d’Or award. Weah received the coveted prize while playing for Milan, but it was mainly due to his match-winning efforts at the PSG, where he helped the Paris club to clinch Ligue 1 and the French Cup.
Merger and Break up With The Fifa
In the years between 2010 and 15, FIFA, the governing body of football, also got involved in the award. An agreement took place between France Football and FIFA that led to the merger of Ballon with the FIFA World Player Of The Year award, and the prestigious French award got rechristened as FIFA Ballon d’Or. However, the alliance came to an end in 2016, but the winners of the joint FIFA-Ballon awards were recognised by both organisations.
