Explained: Why Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual honour in football
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Explained: Why Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual honour in football")
Explained: Why Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual honour in football Photograph: (AFP)
Presented annually by France Football since 1956, the Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious accolade a footballer can receive in recognition of outstanding achievements and exceptional talent.
The Ballon d’Or 2025 ceremony is all set to take centre stage on Monday (Sep 22) evening as the 30 players from both men’s and women’s sides compete for the most prestigious individual honour in football. The award ceremony set to take place in the French capital of Paris will be one to watch out for. France’s Ousmane Dembélé and Spain’s Lamine Yamal are likely to go head-to-head in the men’s side. But why is the Ballon d’Or the most prestigious individual honour in football and what is its significance?
Ballon d’Or and its significance
Monday’s ceremony will be the 69th edition of the Ballon d’Or ceremony, as the best individual players from both men’s and women’s sides will be crowned. The ceremony first took place in 1956 when French magazine France Football started presenting it to the best footballer of the season. Originally started as a top prize for only European footballers, the Ballon d’Or was expanded to include all players of any origin who have been active at European clubs in 1995.
However, it was not until 2007 that the prize became a global accolade, meaning all professional footballers around the globe were eligible to win the top prize. The 2007 amendment also saw coaches and captains of national teams given the right to vote in the Ballon d’Or rankings before reverting to just journalists in 2016.
Between 2010 and 2015, France Football and FIFA had had agreement, meaning the award was given to the best footballer under the title “FIFA Ballon d’Or” before reverting to the previous format where both awards were presented separately.
How is the Ballon d'Or decided?
The men's and women's Ballon d'Or is awarded based on three main criteria:
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1) Individual performances, decisive and impressive character
2) Team performances and achievements
3) Class and fair play
Over the years, some of the greats of the game have gone on to win the Ballon d’Or, with notable names including Lionel Messi (eight times), Cristiano Ronaldo (five times), Luka Modric, Zinedine Zidane and others.
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An honorary award, under the name Super Ballon d'Or, was awarded to Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1989, who was voted the best multiple-time Ballon d'Or winner ahead of Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini.
In addition, Diego Maradona received an honorary Ballon d'Or in 1995 for his services to football, dubbed the Golden Ballon d'Or. Pelé also received a similar award during the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony, dubbed the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur.
Who are the front-runners for the 2025 Ballon d’Or?
Dembélé is top of the favourites chart to win the prestigious honour, having helped Paris Saint-Germain win the Champions League, Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France title in the same season. They could have completed a unique quadruple, but missed out on the Club World Cup title in the final when Chelsea got the better of them. Yamal, on the other hand, will be in the race for the top prize, but is likely to miss out, having lost the Champions League semis with Barcelona, while the same applies to teammate Raphinha.
In the women's department, Aitana Bonmati and Alessia Russo will also square off for the top honour, with the former helping Barcelona with the 2024-25 Primera División title.
