FIFA’s decision to include the World Cup in its assessment of The Best award has once again set the two honours apart.
Ballon d’Or or The Best awards?
Football fans around the world eagerly anticipate the Ballon d’Or and The Best awards, two of the most prestigious individual honours in the sport. In recent years, the two awards have often been aligned in terms of their criteria and timing. However, FIFA’s decision to include the World Cup in its assessment of The Best award has once again set the two honours apart. Traditionally, the Ballon d’Or recognises a player’s performances in a calendar year, while The Best has previously focused on a season. This year, the Ballon d’Or was awarded to Karim Benzema for his exploits in the past season, while The Best will take into account performances at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA’s decision to include the World Cup in the previous season’s assessment means that La Liga Santander and the Champions League will not be the main factors in deciding The Best award winner. Previous winners of FIFA’s World Player of the Year award include Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luka Modric, and Robert Lewandowski.
What’s the difference between these two awards
The Best award is determined through a voting process that involves national team captains, coaches, and specialist journalists. Each captain and coach can vote for three players, and the voting is influenced by individual performance, decisiveness, impact, collective performance, and accumulated record during the season. The third criterion is the player’s class and sense of fair play.
Meanwhile, the Ballon d’Or is selected through a rigorous process that involves a selection of 30 candidates for the men’s award, 20 for the women’s award, and 10 for the Yashin and Kopa trophies.
These candidates are chosen in collaboration with France Football, L’Equipe, and other specialists. In addition, the vote of Didier Drogba and last year’s voters who came closest to the final result, such as Truong Anh Ngoc, Gordon Wateon, and Karolina Hlavackova, have been added to the selection process. The representatives of 170 countries previously voted from the list of candidates for the Ballon d’Or, but now, the representatives of the top 100 countries in the FIFA ranking (and the top 50 for women) will vote. The voting process is based on individual performance, collective performance, and the player’s overall impact on the game.
In summary, both the Ballon d’Or and The Best awards remain highly regarded honours in the world of football. While the criteria and selection processes differ, both awards celebrate the exceptional performances of football players at the highest level.