Notably, Real Madrid, who were named Club of the Year, did not attend the Ballon d’Or presentation in Paris on Monday (October 28). Striker Vinicius Junior lost the Best Men’s Player title to Rodri of Manchester City by a slim margin.
After discovering that Vinicius would not receive the coveted award, the European champions opted not to go. According to AFP and Spanish media, Real Madrid’s officials refused to go to an event where they believed the team was “not respected”.
Both striker Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti received the highest individual distinctions, but neither was able to attend the ceremony to accept their awards. The 28-year-old Rodri of Spain won the men’s Ballon d’Or, surpassing Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid, who both put on outstanding performances. This was a thrilling showcase for Spanish talent.
Vinicius, 24, leads Real Madrid to Champions League and La Liga Triumphs
Real Madrid was upset about the latest award choices, believing that Vinicius’ colleague Dani Carvajal was unfairly left out of the running for the top honour. Given that Vinicius and Carvajal have both been crucial to the club’s success, this sentiment reflects the team’s mounting annoyance at not having their players’ outstanding on-field achievements acknowledged.
Discussions concerning the fairness and selection criteria of awards have been triggered by the circumstance, causing fans and pundits to wonder what this means for athletes who continuously put on exceptional performances yet go unrecognized.
The organizers stressed that the suspense is still there prior to the presentation, saying that “no player or club is aware of who has won the prestigious Ballon d’Or.” This statement ensures that the reveal will be a surprise to all parties concerned and heightens the excitement surrounding one of football’s most coveted prizes.
Karim Benzema is the overwhelming favourite to win the men’s Ballon d’Or at a ceremony in Paris on Monday and thereby become the first Frenchman to claim the most prestigious individual prize in football since Zinedine Zidane almost quarter of a century ago.
There are 30 nominees, but the Real Madrid striker is the outstanding candidate after his remarkable performances last season helped his club win the Champions League and La Liga.
Benzema scored an astonishing 44 goals in 46 games for his club including 15 in the Champions League.
His exploits included a hat-trick in 17 second-half minutes against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16, and another away to Chelsea in the quarter-final first leg. He also scored three more goals over both legs of the semi-final against Manchester City.
Benzema was named the UEFA player of the year in August, and he is living a marvellous twilight to his career with the World Cup to come.
Formerly a pariah, frozen out of the France team for five and a half years because of his involvement in a blackmail scandal over a sextape involving teammate Mathieu Valbuena, Benzema has put that behind him and is playing the best football of his career with his 35th birthday approaching the day after the World Cup final.
“What is most important to me is to win collective trophies. If you do things well on the field, individual awards will follow,” Benzema pointed out recently.
His victory at the Chatelet Theatre in the French capital seems an inevitability.
“If they don’t cancel it then he’s probably going to win this Ballon d’Or,” said Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski this week.
That was a joke by the Pole, who would surely have been crowned in 2020 had that year’s award not been cancelled due to the pandemic.
No Messi
Normal service was restored last year when Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or for the seventh time, but he is not even nominated this time after a disappointing season at Paris Saint-Germain.
Cristiano Ronaldo is nominated but there is no Neymar on the list.
Benzema aside, there are four other members of Real’s Champions League-winning side: Vinicius, the evergreen Luka Modric, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and midfielder Casemiro, now of Manchester United.
Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Lewandowski and Kevin De Bruyne feature too, but Benzema stands out by a distance.
If Benzema wins, he will be the fifth Frenchman to do so, following in the footsteps of Raymond Kopa in 1958, Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985), Jean-Pierre Papin (1991) and Zidane (1998).
The award was previously based on a player’s performances over the course of the calendar year.
But the format has changed, with the prize now based on a player’s record over the last season.
Putellas to retain women’s award?
There is far less certainty about the identity of what will be the fourth women’s Ballon d’Or.
There are three members of England’s European Championship-winning squad short-listed among the 20 contenders.
Lucy Bronze and Millie Bright were both named but Arsenal striker Beth Mead is the most likely candidate after scoring six goals at the Euro.
Australia’s Sam Kerr and German duo Lena Oberdorf and Alexandra Popp may have a claim too, but it could also once again be Spain’s Alexia Putellas, who won last year.
The 28-year-old is currently recovering from a serious knee injury which saw her miss the Euro with Spain and means she is unlikely to play at all this season.
Putellas, who followed in the footsteps of Ada Hegerberg and Megan Rapinoe by winning a year ago, captained Barcelona to the Champions League final last season as well as a domestic league and cup double.
She was the Champions League top scorer with 11 goals, although her club lost the final to Lyon.
The winners will also receive digital tokens (NFTs) to go with their gleaming trophies, while organisers France Football magazine have also added a new humanitarian prize.
It is named for Socrates, the former Brazil midfielder who also held a medical degree.
The prize “will identify the best social initiative by committed champions,” France Football said.
Ballon D’or which means Golden Ball is the annual football award that is presented by the French news magazine ‘France Football’ the first award was given in the year 1956, and there are many teams that participate in the game.
Some teams have strong players with them that give their best and won the title before the year 1956 the award was referred to as ‘European Football of the Year’ in recent years there have been many changes in the game rules and has been updated more and the rules will keep on adding and changing in upcoming years also to make the game more interesting and exciting. In 2020 there was no game schedule due to COVID-19 was the situation was not very good.
In 2018, the first women’s award was presented which was known as Ballon d’Or Féminin there are many women’s teams that want to play for this title. But here we have to know the complete details about the award winner from the year 1956 to the recent year 2022, so make sure you stay tuned with us to get the latest update and all related information.
year
player
Nationality
club
2021
Lionel Messi
Argentina
Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
2020
not awarded
–
–
2019
Lionel Messi
Argentina
Barcelona
2018
Luka Modric
Croatia
Real Madrid
2017
Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal
Real Madrid
2016
Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal
Real Madrid
2015
Lionel Messi
Argentina
Barcelona
2014
Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal
Real Madrid
2013
Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal
Real Madrid
2012
Lionel Messi
Argentina
Barcelona
2011
Lionel Messi
Argentina
Barcelona
2010
Lionel Messi
Argentina
Barcelona
2009
Lionel Messi
Argentina
Barcelona
2008
Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal
Manchester United
2007
Kaká
Brazil
Milan
2006
Fabio Cannavaro
Italy
Real Madrid
2005
Ronaldinho
Brazil
Barcelona
2004
Andriy Shevchenko
Ukraine
Milan
2003
Pavel Nedvěd
Czechia
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
Internazionale
1996
Matthias Sammer
Germany
Borussia Dortmund
1995
George Weah
Liberia
Milan
1994
Hristo Stoichkov
Bulgaria
Barcelona
1993
Roberto Baggio
Italy
Juventus
1992
Marco van Basten
Netherlands
Milan
1991
Jean-Pierre Papin
France
Marseille
1990
Lothar Matthäus
Germany
Internazionale
1989
Marco van Basten
Netherlands
Milan
1988
Marco van Basten
Netherlands
Milan
1987
Ruud Gullit
Netherlands
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
West Germany
Bayern Munich
1980
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
West Germany
Bayern Munich
1979
Kevin Keegan
England
Hamburg
1978
Kevin Keegan
England
Hamburg
1977
Allan Simonsen
Denmark
Borussia M”nchengladbach
1976
Franz Beckenbauer
West Germany
Bayern Munich
1975
Oleg Blokhin
Soviet Union
Dynamo Kyiv
1974
Johan Cruyff
Netherlands
Barcelona
1973
Johan Cruyff
Netherlands
Barcelona
1972
Franz Beckenbauer
West Germany
Bayern Munich
1971
Johan Cruyff
Netherlands
Ajax
1970
Gerd Müller
West 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
Who has won the most?
Ballon D’or award is mostly won by Lionel Messi he has a record of winning the title7 times and after him, we have Cristiano Ronaldo who has won 5 times. There are also some other players that have won the award three times each.
Women’s Ballon D’or (Ballon d’Or Féminin) award List
Year
Player
Nationality
Club
2021
Alexia Putellas
Spain
Barcelona
2020
Not awarded
–
–
2019
Megan Rapinoe
USA
Reign FC
2018
Ada Hegerberg
Norway
Olympique Lyonnais
Juvenal Edjogo: ‘These awards have no value’ — Former player shocked that his vote changed during 2013 Ballon d’Or involving Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi
Juvenal Edjogo, a former captain of Equatorial Guinea, has asserted that he did not vote for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the 2013 Ballon d’Or, and was shocked to see the changes that were made to his vote as if he did.
In 2013, Messi finished second, and Franck Ribery took third place, with Ronaldo taking home the Ballon d’Or. After an outstanding season with Bayern Munich, many people thought the Frenchman deserved the trophy.
Edjoga stated during an interview with the Spanish sports network Gol Play that he does not believe in football awards since votes are tampered with. He cited his votes for the 2013 Ballon d’Or as an example:
“What little I can say about this type of award is that in 2013, I voted for my three players for the Ballon d’Or, and I sent my votes, and in the end when it was made public, the list of who voted for who, my votes were different. It said I voted for Messi, Cristiano, and I don’t know who else, but I didn’t vote for any of them. That’s why I say, I don’t believe in absolutely anything about those awards. Since then, I’ve thought these awards have no value.”
The star of Real Madrid, Toni Kroos, expressed his opinion that Robert Lewandowski should have received the Ballon d’Or instead of Lionel Messi in 2021. The former teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo thinks that while the Portuguese and Argentines dominated the previous ten years, others will emerge as champions in 2021. He remarked:
“It is absolutely not deserved. There is no doubt that Messi, with Cristiano, has been the player of the last decade, but this year, there should’ve been others ahead of him.”
Iker Casillas expressed a similar viewpoint and noted that he also found it challenging to accept football honours. He said: “It is increasingly difficult for me to believe in football awards. Messi is one of the five best players in the history of football but you have to know who is the most outstanding player after the season. It’s not that hard.”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have 12 Ballons d’Or between them, with the Argentine taking home the award seven times, leading the field.
Two sports icons collided at the Ballon d’Or: Tennis’ Novak Djokovic and football’s Lionel Messi. Although the moment was fleeting, the sports community rejoiced as the two most decorated athletes in the world shared a hug before the ceremony began.
The 2023 Ballon d’Or is a ceremony hosted by France Football magazine to honor the finest football players in the world for the 2022-23 season. So, if it’s a Football awards ceremony, why was the first-ranked Tennis star spotted there?
Well, it just so happens that Djokovic was in town for the Rolex Paris Masters 2023, his first tournament since winning the US Open back in September. And, as a football fan, he took this opportunity to meet the football stars.
At the ceremony, not only did Djokovic share a moment with Lionel Messi, he also had the opportunity to hand over the women’s Ballon d’Or trophy to FIFA World Cup winner Aitana Bonmati of Spain.
Before this, though, Djokovic was also spotted in the Stade de France in Paris, watching the Rugby World Cup Final.
Djokovic as a Football fan
In an interview, Djokovic shared that before this month, he never attended a Rugby World Cup Final or a Ballon d’Or ceremony.
“You know it’s nice to use the opportunity when I have the tournament in the city where you have some big sporting events, like the World Cup Finals of Rugby and, of course, Ballon d’Or,” the tennis star said. “ I’ve never attended neither Rugby World Cup Final nor the Ballon d’Or, so I’m really enjoying myself.”
And, when asked about whether he was a big fan of the sport, Djokovic promptly responded, “I am, of course. Most of the world, you know, football obviously is, by far, the most popular sport in the world. And I grew up watching Football, playing football. My father was a professional for some time. You know, I’m really excited to be here.”
« I’m a huge football fan! So happy to attend finally the Ballon d’Or »
After resting for six weeks and attending two big events in Paris, the world will finally see Djokovic set foot on the court once again.
He is set to compete at the Paris Masters, where he’s been dubbed the king of the tournament by tennis.com for winning the Masters 1000 event six times.
He was also recently seen training with the second-ranked Spanish player, Carlos Alcaraz, for the upcoming event.
World No.1 🤝 World No. 2
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz training 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 ahead of the Paris Masters! 😍 pic.twitter.com/kwXS8E2quS
The 2022 World Cup has broken records as it has the highest number of participating players in its history. Now they have 832 players. 31 of them are players that belong to Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Manchester United has the most examples in the World Cup with a whopping 14 players, which obviously includes their legend Cristiano Ronaldo. Bayern Munich has 17, Manchester City has 16, similar to Barcelona.
Unfortunately, there are a number of prominent players in Manchester United who are not playing in the World Cup. They are not injured or disqualified but they were apparently simply overlooked according to the Mirror.
Specifically for Manchester United, they have a number of prominent players. They are also one of the biggest football teams in history, leaving an impressive mark for the past few decades.
Unfortunately, with their decline in the past 10 years, Manchester United has of course seen better days.
The list of the Manchester United Players that didn’t make the cut for the World Cup:
David de Gea
Image of David de Gea, from Wikipedia.
David de Gea, the 32-year-old Spanish goalie was unfortunately not selected. However, he has not played since 2020 and it’s unclear when he will make his comeback. Just a decade ago, he was regarded to be one of the best goalies in the world.
He started his career at the tender age of 18-years-old in Spain and has never looked back. Manchester United then purchased him in 2011 for a record breaking £18.3 million. Back then that was the most spent on a goalie.
Anthony Martial
Image of Anthony Martial, from Wikipedia.
Anthony Martial, it is stated that he is struggling with his fitness in this term. He was also snubbed by Didier Deschamps. He also helped France reach the Euro finals back in 2016.
The 26-year-old French man has a lot of potential, however it could be the strict regime that is currently being led by Ten Hag that he is probably hidden in the shadows. He was purchased by the club for a whopping £26 million back in 2015.
Furthermore, he received the golden boy award back in 2015 for his achievements, especially at a young age. In the 2019-2020 season, he was awarded to be the best Manchester United player of the season.
Jadon Sancho
Image of Jadon Sancho, from Wikipedia.
Jadon Sancho was also subbed even though he helped his country to win the Euro 2020. Southgate snubbed him and apparently he was not even in the selection debate. The 22-year-old English man has not made as many waves as his peer of a similar age Antony.
In contrast, Antony was selected for the World Cup this year. However, this does not discount the fact that he had broken records in his day. He started playing football at the young age of 7-years-old by joining Watford.
Donny van de Beek
Image of Donny van de Beek, from Wikipedia.
The 25-year-old Dutchman was not selected to join the Netherlands in the World Cup. He wasn’t selected in Louis van Gaal’s team probably due to the fact that he has only played four Premier League games all of this season.
He also started playing football at a young age, where he joined the Ajax academy in 2008. He made 40 appearances for the Dutch football youth in the under-17 and under-21 categories.
Alejandro Garnacho
Image of Alejandro Garnacho, from Wikipedia.
The 18-year-old Spanish man who has been in Manchester United for a few years at this point was unfortunately not selected in Spain’s team. He almost forced his way into Argentina’s team but unfortunately was not selected.
He has a lot of potential, and hopefully when the next World Cup rings, he would be eligible to join. Ten Hag would need to harness and guide the youth in becoming one of the clubs next main stayers, if he is willing to do so and decides to no longer get into petty arguments with Ronaldo.
