France Football, a French publication has drawn the curtain with FIFA over Ballon d’Or.

“The end of the partnership between France Football and FIFA will lead to a new look of Ballon d’Or. 

“Discover it next Tuesday in FF,” read a news release of the French publication.

The Ballon d’Or was first introduced in 1956, when the European Cup (now known as the Champions League) came into existence.

It was conceived to reward players based on their performances in the previous 12 months on votes exclusively from journalist in Europe.

The FIFA World Player of the Year, on the other hand, was introduced in 1991.

It awarded until 2009 with the winner decided by votes from national team coaches and captains from all of the association members.

In 2010, the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year were fused to become the FIFA Ballon d’Or.

It became an annual association football award given to the world’s best male player by the sport’s governing body, FIFA, and the French publication France Football since 2010

JURY & SELECTION PROCESS

Since 2009 when both Ballon d’Or and FIFA Player of the year award were merged the selection process was also disclosed to public. 

All national team captains and Coaches plus 1 specialist journalists from every country can vote for the nominees. 

They get a draft where they have to pick three players in descending order and when the drafts are return FIFA calculate points account to following criteria. 

First position pick is awarded 5 points, second pick is 3 and third pick gets 1 point. 

So around 500 voters (170 national team captain, 170 national coaches and around 170 journalists) choices are counted.

The player with most points get the Ballon d’Or award.

It was designed to select the world’s best player of the year, based on votes from media, team coaches and captains.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi won the award for record five times, while Cristiano Ronaldo went for three.

The contract previously signed by the FIFA and France Football has expired with neither organisation interested in extending it.

The most prestigious individual award will now go back to its initial format.

Now let’s take a look at the all past winners of Ballon d’Or (now FIFA Ballon d’Or) award. 

From 1956 only European players were eligible but in 1995 any nationality player playing for an European club was eligible.

PAST WINNERS OF BALLON D’OR AWARD

YEAR WINNER      NATIONALITY  CLUB

2015 Lionel Messi Argentina FC Barcelona

2014 Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal Real Madrid

2013 Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal Real Madrid

2012 Lionel Messi Argentina FC Barcelona

2011 Lionel Messi Argentina FC Barcelona

2010 Lionel Messi Argentina FC Barcelona

2009 Lionel Messi Argentina FC Barcelona

2008 Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal Manchester United

2007 Kaká           Brazil AC Milan

2006 Fabio Cannavaro Italy Real Madrid/Juventus

2005 Ronaldinho Brazil Barcelona

2004 Andriy Shevchenko Ukraine AC Milan

2003 Pavel Nedvěd Czech Republic Juventus

2002 Ronaldo         Brazil Real Madrid

2001 Michael Owen England Liverpool

2000 Luís Figo         Portugal Real Madrid

1999 Rivaldo         Brazil Barcelona

1998 Zinedine Zidane France Juventus

1997 Ronaldo         Brazil Inter Milan

1996 Matthias Sammer Germany Borussia Dortmund

1995 George Weah Liberia AC Milan

1994 Hristo Stoichkov Bulgaria Barcelona

1993 Roberto Baggio Italy Juventus

1992 Marco van Basten Netherlands AC Milan

1991 Jean-Pierre Papin  France Marseille

1990 Lothar Matthäus Germany Inter Milan

1989 Marco van Basten Netherlands AC Milan

1988 Marco van Basten Netherlands AC Milan

1987 Ruud Gullit Netherlands AC Milan

1986 Igor Belanov Soviet Union Dynamo Kyiv

1985 Michel Platini France Juventus

1984 Michel Platini France Juventus

1983 Michel Platini France Juventus

1982 Paolo Rossi Italy Juventus

1981 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge Germany Bayern Munich

1980 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge Germany Bayern Munich

1979 Kevin Keegan England Hamburg

1978 Kevin Keegan England Hamburg

1977 Allan Simonsen Denmark Borussia M”nchengladbach

1976 Franz Beckenbauer Germany Bayern Munich

1975 Oleg Blokhin Soviet Union Dynamo Kyiv

1974 Johan Cruyff Netherlands Barcelona

1973 Johan Cruyff Netherlands Barcelona

1972 Franz Beckenbauer Germany Bayern Munich

1971 Johan Cruyff   Netherlands Barcelona

1970 Gerd Müller Germany Bayern Munich

1969 Gianni Rivera Italy Milan

1968 George Best Northern Ireland Manchester United

1967 Flórián Albert Hungary Ferencv rosi TC

1966 Bobby Charlton England Manchester United

1965 Eusébio         Portugal Benfica

1964 Denis Law         Scotland Manchester United

1963 Lev Yashin         Soviet Union Dynamo Moscow

1962 Josef Masopust Czechoslovakia Dukla Prague

1961 Omar Sívori Italy Juventus

1960 Luis Suárez Spain Barcelona

1959 Alfredo Di Stéfano Spain Real Madrid

1958 Raymond Kopa France Real Madrid

1957 Alfredo Di Stéfano Spain Real Madrid

1956 Stanley Matthews England Blackpool

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