March 14 – The Ballon d’Or award given to the world’s best male and female footballer will now be judged on performances over the main European season rather than an entire calendar year.
The organisers, France Football magazine, have announced that the 2022 edition of the award ceremony will take place in October rather than November/December.
“The #ballondor will now be awarded on the basis of a classic football season: August to July! No worries, the Qatar World Cup will count for the 2023 award. Less global but… much more demanding,” said a tweet from the organisers.
The judging panel of 170 journalists will also be cut to 100 for the men’s award, while the women’s panel will contain 50 judges.
Also the criteria for deciding the winner have changed, as the award will not only consider a player’s individual performance, but also take into account collective performance, the “class” of a player and their fair play record.
France Football’s Pascal Ferre commented: “Before we were judging based on two half seasons. This will be clearer. It’s an opportunity to give it a new impetus.”
The changes announced follow criticism for the choice of Paris St-Germain striker Lionel Messi as Ballon d’Or winner in 2021, when many felt the Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski deserved the honour.
Messi won the famous trophy for a record seventh time but Lewandowski – who finished second – had scored 41 Bundesliga goals in the 2020-21 season as he helped Bayern win a ninth consecutive league title.
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