How dem take dey choose Ballon d'Or winner?

Ballon d'Or, na di most prestigious individual award for football. Na France Football magazine dey award am evri year to di player dem believe say na di best for di world.

Dem dey choose di winner through two stages of voting.

First, journalists from France Football plus anoda French publication, L'Equipe, dey work togeda to produce one combined list of 30 official nominees, based on how players take perform for di previous season. Sometimes, dis first selection process also include small number of former players.

Den, dem go invite one football journalist from each of di top 100 kontris for Fifa ranking to vote for dia top 10 players from di shortlist. Di journalists go arrange dem according to dia preference.

Di 10 players go receive 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point based on dia ranking.

Afta all di journalists don submit dia top 10 choices, dem go add all di points togeda, and di player wey get di highest points for di voting go win di Ballon d'Or, while dem go rank di remaining players from second to 30th position.

If players get di same number of points, dem go separate dem based on di number of first-place votes wey each of dem receive. If dem still dey level, dem go use di number of second-place votes, and continue like dat.

Dem encourage journalists wey dey participate for di voting to consider three factors:

Dem don ever change di way dem award Ballon d'Or ?

Di way dem dey award Ballon d'Or don change well-well since dem first create am for 1956.

Until 1995, na only European footballers dey eligible for di award. Den, for di next 12 years, players from any part of di world wey dey play for European club bicom eligible. Na from 2007 onwards dem begin include all players around di world.

Between 2007 and 2015, dem don invite captains and managers of each Fifa-recognised international team to participate for di final voting. But bifor dat period and since den, na only journalists bin dey take part.

From 2010 to 2015, Fifa work togeda wit France Football on di award, wey dem call Fifa Ballon d'Or.

Fifa now dey give out im own separate award, wey dem call Fifa Best Player award, but becos e no get long history, pipo generally consider Ballon d'Or more prestigious.

Bifor 2022, dem dey base voting on how players perform throughout one calendar year, wey cover half of two different seasons for most top leagues, bifor dem change am to cover one complete season.

Who win di most Ballon d'Or trophies?

Lionel Messi don win di trophy eight times, making im di player wey don win Ballon d’Or pass evri oda player.

Im long-time rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, dey second wit five titles, while Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten each win am three times.

Alfredo di Stefano, Franz Beckenbauer, Kevin Keegan, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Ronaldo Nazario, wey each win am twice, na di only oda players wey don win di men’s Ballon d’Or more dan once.

Why dem criticize Ballon d'Or award sometimes?

Di way dem dey award Ballon d’Or sometimes dey attract criticism from fans and football analysts.

For di past, complaints don focus on how di award dey favour attacking midfielders and forwards more than players wey dey play defensive roles.

Na only two centre-backs (Beckenbauer and Fabio Cannavaro), and one goalkeeper (Lev Yashin), don eva win di award.

Di tendency of di voting panel to choose players whose teams don win di biggest trophies for football dat year, like di World Cup and Champions League, don also cause controversy for di past.

Some pipo believe say team achievements no suppose affect di voting, and say player wey perform well individually no suppose miss out just bicos im team no perform as well.

Also, di fact say na journalists dey vote for di main award, instead of players, coaches or former professional footballers, don sometimes lead to criticism.

Finally, some fans believe say individual award no get much importance for one sport wey depend on teamwork, and dis make dem consider Ballon d’Or less important.

When dem go announce di 2026 Ballon d’Or winner?

Dem go announce di 2026 Ballon d’Or winner on October 26, for one ceremony for London.

Na di first time dem go hold di ceremony for UK capital, wey Uefa say “pays tribute to English footballer Sir Stanley Matthews, di award's inaugural winner 70 years ago”.

Dem go also present different awards during di ceremony, including:

Who be di contenders for Ballon d’Or for 2026?

Dem don confirm di shortlist of 30 players for di award. Members of France Football, L'Equipe, di best juror from di 2025 Ballon d’Or and Fifa Ambassadors na dem select di nominees.

Who be di contenders for Ballon d'Or Féminin?

Just like di men's award, dem don confirm one shortlist of 30 players for Ballon d'Or Féminin.

Di current winner, Aitana Bonmatí, no dey di list bicos e miss most of last year due to one broken leg. If she bin win am for di fourth year in a row, she for don equal Lionel Messi record for di highest number of consecutive Ballon d'Or wins.