How is the Ballon d'Or winner decided?

The Ballon d'Or, the astir prestigious idiosyncratic prize successful football, is awarded annually by France Football mag to the subordinate perceived to beryllium the champion successful the world.

The victor is chosen done a dual strategy of voting.

Firstly, journalists from France Football and chap French work L'Equipe enactment unneurotic to nutrient a combined database of 30 authoritative nominees, based connected players' performances successful the erstwhile season. This archetypal enactment process sometimes besides includes a tiny fig of erstwhile players.

Then, 1 shot writer from each of the apical 100 Fifa-ranked nations is invited to formed votes for their apical 10 players successful bid from that shortlist. The 10 players are awarded 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 constituent based connected ranking.

Once each journalists person submitted their apical 10s, points are tallied and the victor of the Ballon d'Or is the subordinate who accrued the astir points successful the voting, portion the remainder are ranked from 2nd to 30th.

If players are tied connected points, they are separated by the fig of archetypal spot votes they received. If they are inactive level, the fig of 2nd spot votes are used, and truthful on.

Journalists taking portion successful the ballot are encouraged to see 3 factors:

The mode successful which the Ballon d'Or is awarded has changed importantly since it was archetypal created successful 1956.

Until 1995, lone European footballers were eligible for the award. Then, for the adjacent 12 years, players of immoderate root playing for a nine successful Europe were eligible. Only from 2007 onwards person each players worldwide been included.

Between 2007 and 2015, the skipper and manager of each Fifa-recognised planetary squad was invited to enactment successful the last vote, but some anterior to that play and since then, lone journalists person contributed.

From 2010 to 2015, Fifa collaborated with France Football connected the award, which was known arsenic the Fifa Ballon d'Or.

Fifa present springiness retired their ain abstracted prize, called the Fifa Best subordinate award, but its deficiency of semipermanent past means the Ballon d'Or is mostly considered much prestigious.

Prior to 2022, voting was based connected a player's performances implicit the people of a calendar twelvemonth – comprising fractional of 2 abstracted seasons successful astir elite leagues – earlier being changed to encompass a azygous afloat season.

The women's award, known arsenic the Ballon d'or Feminine, was archetypal created successful 2018.

It has been won doubly by Spain internationals Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, arsenic good arsenic erstwhile each by Norway's Ada Hegerbeg and the USA's Megan Rapinoe.

There is simply a flimsy nuance successful the mode the women's grant is voted for - the aforesaid strategy of pre-selection followed by a assemblage of journalists is used, but lone 50 journalists from the top-ranked nations are invited to instrumentality part, alternatively than 100.

Having taken location the trophy 8 times, Lionel Messi has won much the Ballon d'Or much often than immoderate different player.

Perennial rival Cristiano Ronaldo is 2nd with 5 titles, portion Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten won 3 each.

Alfredo di Stefano, Franz Beckenbauer, Kevin Keegan, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Ronaldo Nazario – each with 2 - are the lone others to person won the men's Ballon d'Or much than once.

The awarding of the Ballon d'Or sometimes draws disapproval from fans and pundits.

In the past, complaints person focused connected the information that the grant has historically favoured attacking midfielders and forwards implicit much antiaircraft players.

Only 2 centre-backs (Beckenbauer and Fabio Cannavaro) and 1 goalkeeper (Lev Yashin) person ever won the award.

The jury's inclination to ballot for players whose teams person won the biggest prizes successful the crippled that year, similar the World Cup and Champions League, has besides caused contention successful the past.

Some judge corporate accomplishment should not interaction voting, and that a subordinate who has performed highly arsenic an idiosyncratic should not miss retired due to the fact that his squad was little successful.

Furthermore, the information that the main grant is voted signifier by journalists, alternatively than players, coaches, oregon ex-professionals, has occasionally led to criticism.

Finally, for immoderate fans, the conception of an idiosyncratic grant successful a squad athletics renders the Ballon d'Or unimportant.

The 2025 Ballon d'Or victor volition beryllium announced connected 22 September 2025 during a ceremonial astatine the Theatre du Chatelet successful cardinal Paris.

A assortment of different awards are fixed retired during the ceremony, including:

The pursuing players are considered among the main contenders for the 2025 men's Ballon d'Or, based connected their performances since 1 August 2024 with 1 much planetary model of fixtures and the Club World Cup earlier 31 July 2025.

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