Ballon d’Or: Footballer can win award without winning single trophy – Organisers clarify
Ballon d’Or Eligibility Expands: Awards Can Be Won Without Trophies
The organizers of the Ballon d’Or have announced a significant change in the criteria for the prestigious football award. Players can now be eligible for the award even if they do not secure any trophies with their respective clubs or countries during the season.
In a statement released to the public, the organizers emphasized that individual player performance will take precedence over team achievements when considering the award. They highlighted historical instances where players have won the Ballon d’Or despite not having a trophy-winning season.
Such occasions are uncommon, with only six players in history managing to achieve this distinction. Stanley Matthews, the inaugural Ballon d’Or recipient in 1956, was the first to win the award without a team title in the calendar year. It is important to note that since 2022, the Ballon d’Or has been awarded based on the sporting season.
Denis Law replicated Matthews’ achievement in 1964, followed by Gerd Müller in 1970, who scored 10 goals during that year’s World Cup, although his team finished third. Kevin Keegan won in 1978, and Luis Figo claimed the award in 2000, both without any trophies to their name that season. The most recent player to secure the award under these circumstances was Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013, marking this as the 11th time such an occurrence has happened in the award’s history.
This year, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland are among the leading contenders for the Ballon d’Or, both currently without a team trophy.
