The France Football has announced that the Ballon d’Or award given yearly to the best player in the world of football will undergo several changes ahead of next edition, following criticism over Lionel Messi being awarded his seventh title earlier this season.
The first major reform is that the award period will move in line with the main European season and be awarded at the end of each season rather than being judged solely on a calendar year.
This means the next award ceremony will take place in September or October this year, relating to this current season. Also, the men’s Champions League and the women’s Euros will be taken into account.
As a result of the changes, the performances from this year’s World Cup scheduled to take place in November and December will not be considered until the 2022/2023 season’s award.
Another reform will come from the way the award is being judged, the voting process will now be done with a smaller voting panel and the criteria will be carefully laid out before voting. Player’s entire will no longer be considered, individual performances will then carry more weight rather than focusing on the trophies won by players.
The initial selection panel shortlist includes former Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba, while the final voting pool will be reduced from 170, 100 leading journalists from different countries and a representative from each of the top 100 nations in FIFA’s world rankings.
The award organisers said the same process will be used for the Women’s Ballon d’Or, but with the voting group of 5.
