For the first time in the history of the Ballon d’Or, the 2024 ceremony will feature an equal number of awards for male and female footballers. Organisers confirmed this bold shift on Monday, ahead of the award show scheduled for September 22 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. This major change in the Ballon d’Or 2025 to give equal awards to men and women is already stirring mixed reactions across the global football community.
New Awards for Women Raise Eyebrows
According to France Football magazine and UEFA, new categories have been introduced for women. These include awards for the best women’s goalkeeper, best young women’s player, and top women’s scorer for club or national team. These additions mean that, just like the men, there will now be six awards for women at the Ballon d’Or 2025. The organisers also confirmed the Socrates Award, which is open to any gender and focuses on humanitarian or solidarity efforts.
Vinicius Snub Still Haunts Ballon d’Or
Controversy is no stranger to this award. Last year, Real Madrid boycotted the ceremony after learning that Vinicius Junior would not win the best men’s player award, which instead went to Manchester City’s Rodri. That incident cast a dark shadow over the credibility of the organisers. Now, with the Ballon d’Or 2025 set to give equal awards to men and women, many wonder if this move is about fairness or simply damage control.
With the spotlight on equality, the organisers have promised a new chapter for the prestigious award.
