Ballon d'Or award set to undergo 4 major changes

France Football announced Friday it’ll implement four significant changes for the Ballon d’Or award ahead of the next ceremony.

First, the award will now be presented to the best player based on performances during a standard European season, rather than over the course of a calendar year.

“No more January to December,” the official Ballon d’Or account said on Twitter. “The (Ballon d’Or) will now be awarded on the basis of a classic football season: August to July.”

There’ll also be a reduction in the number of voters. Only representatives from the top 100 countries in the men’s FIFA rankings and the top 50 nations in the women’s rankings are permitted to cast ballots.

Additionally, former Chelsea and Ivory Coast star Didier Drogba, along with Truong Anh Ngoc and Czech juror Karolina Hlavackova, will join journalists involved in the voting process, according to ESPN.

Finally, a player’s individual performance will no longer be the only factor voters take into consideration. A player’s “class,” fair play record, and overall contribution will now play a role in the voting process.

Meanwhile, voters are encouraged to avoid taking into account a player’s historical achievements when choosing winners.

The men’s award was issued every year since 1956, and the women’s since 2018, before the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 ceremony.

Last year, Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi added a record seventh Ballon d’Or award after controversially beating Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski. Spanish attacker Alexia Putellas won the women’s award after helping Barcelona capture multiple major trophies.