ONCE THE SOLE concern of a small contingent of football nerds, the Ballon d’Or has changed irrevocably in the 59 years since it started.
Beginning in 1956, when Gabriel Hanot asked his colleagues at France Football magazine to vote for the player of the year in Europe, Stanley Matthews claimed the inaugural prize — a footballer who in many ways comes across as the antithesis of the 2015 winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
The first major change came in 1995 when non-European players who played for European clubs became eligible, thus paving the way for AC Milan’s Liberia international George Weah to win the coveted prize. In 2007, the rule was relaxed even further, enabling any player in the world to be eligible for the accolade.
In 2010, the Ballon d’Or and the men’s FIFA World Player of the Year merged, thereby further adding to the hype and prestige surrounding the event.
And as the years have gone by, a conspicuous sense of showbiz has permeated the Ballon d’Or. The event has increasingly developed more Eurovision-esque tendencies, with some fans obsessing over the outcome of this year’s event in the months leading up to it. Rather than serving as a means to celebrate the best players in the world, it has become rigorously competitive, with candidates emphasising their credentials during interviews in the weeks leading up to the ceremony in the hope of tilting the race in their favour. On a regular basis over the past month or two for instance, representatives of Messi, Ronaldo and Neuer have aggressively campaigned on their behalf. It’s not quite to the level of pre-Oscars politics, but it’s certainly headed in that direction.
Moreover, while it can’t really compete with the Eurovision in terms of spectacle — no matter how hard Lionel Messi tries with his reliably outlandish outfits — there are similarities elsewhere, from the over-long wait to find out who wins replete with nonsensical ramblings from old footballers and presenters you’ve never heard of, to the obviously political voting that takes place.
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One of the most striking features from this year’s ceremony is that Messi and Ronaldo, as has been the case every year since 2010, didn’t vote for each other. The reason why is obvious: they’re determined to win the prize themselves and don’t want to give their rival the slightest advantage in the contest. Yet it seems a little sad that the world’s two best players are unwilling to recognise one another’s greatness amid the selfish pursuit of, let’s be honest, a relatively minor award in the context of their careers.
Some might argue they’re reverting to ultra-competitive type by flagrantly snubbing their opponent, but others will feel the pair are showing the pettiness of a small child, unwilling to let common sense overtake their egos.
Instead, Messi and Ronaldo adopted some good old-fashioned Eurovision-style political voting. Ronaldo voted for teammates Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema as the three best players in world, while Messi also voted for three of his teammates Angel di Maria, Andrés Iniesta and Javier Mascherano.
And the duo were far from the only ones who appeared to vote with their heart rather than their head. Both Wales captain Ashley Williams and manager Chris Coleman voted for fellow Welshman Gareth Bale as the world’s best player, while predictably, Germany coach Joachim Low and captain Bastian Schweinsteiger voted for Manuel Neuer, while Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger completed Low’s top three.
AP / Press Association Images
AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
(George Weah became the first non-European player to win the award in 1995)
Similarly, Argentina boss Gerardo Martino went for an all-Argentinian top three of Messi, Angel Di Maria and Javier Mascherano, while Portugal coach Fernando Santos chose his captain Ronaldo and Brazil manager Dunga voted for Neymar.
It was a similar story in the journalists’ top three, with Portugal’s Joaquim Rota, for example, going with Cristiano Ronaldo as his number one and snubbing Messi from inclusion in the top three.
Even the most wide-eyed optimist would acknowledge that these voting patterns often at worst indicate a bias or lack of honesty, or at least, show signs of being highly problematic.
Of course, it’s an imperfect system, but one that’s not completely lacking in credibility — after all, the overall top three of Ronaldo, Messi and Neuer still seems a relatively fair outcome. Yet it’s still sad to see such a prestigious award undermined by the obvious cynicism caused by certain judges ostensibly having ulterior agendas.
One potential solution to the problem, or at least a partial attempt at restoring some credibility, would be to bar footballers from voting for their teammates, in addition to preventing journalists from voting for their fellow countrymen.
It would still probably result in Messi and Ronaldo ignoring one another in the voting, but it would at least be a start.
Football awards should be about people having the humility to vote for arch rivals irrespective of personal prejudice or team loyalties. Patrice Evra showed the way forward when he voted for one-time nemesis Luis Suarez in last season’s PFA Player of the Year award. It’s time for everyone else to follow Evra’s example. Life’s too short to be spent trying to manipulate the results of minor awards shows.
Why the Ballon d'Or increasingly resembles the Eurovision song contest
ONCE THE SOLE concern of a small contingent of football nerds, the Ballon d’Or has changed irrevocably in the 59 years since it started.
Beginning in 1956, when Gabriel Hanot asked his colleagues at France Football magazine to vote for the player of the year in Europe, Stanley Matthews claimed the inaugural prize — a footballer who in many ways comes across as the antithesis of the 2015 winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
The first major change came in 1995 when non-European players who played for European clubs became eligible, thus paving the way for AC Milan’s Liberia international George Weah to win the coveted prize. In 2007, the rule was relaxed even further, enabling any player in the world to be eligible for the accolade.
In 2010, the Ballon d’Or and the men’s FIFA World Player of the Year merged, thereby further adding to the hype and prestige surrounding the event.
And as the years have gone by, a conspicuous sense of showbiz has permeated the Ballon d’Or. The event has increasingly developed more Eurovision-esque tendencies, with some fans obsessing over the outcome of this year’s event in the months leading up to it. Rather than serving as a means to celebrate the best players in the world, it has become rigorously competitive, with candidates emphasising their credentials during interviews in the weeks leading up to the ceremony in the hope of tilting the race in their favour. On a regular basis over the past month or two for instance, representatives of Messi, Ronaldo and Neuer have aggressively campaigned on their behalf. It’s not quite to the level of pre-Oscars politics, but it’s certainly headed in that direction.
Moreover, while it can’t really compete with the Eurovision in terms of spectacle — no matter how hard Lionel Messi tries with his reliably outlandish outfits — there are similarities elsewhere, from the over-long wait to find out who wins replete with nonsensical ramblings from old footballers and presenters you’ve never heard of, to the obviously political voting that takes place.
One of the most striking features from this year’s ceremony is that Messi and Ronaldo, as has been the case every year since 2010, didn’t vote for each other. The reason why is obvious: they’re determined to win the prize themselves and don’t want to give their rival the slightest advantage in the contest. Yet it seems a little sad that the world’s two best players are unwilling to recognise one another’s greatness amid the selfish pursuit of, let’s be honest, a relatively minor award in the context of their careers.
Some might argue they’re reverting to ultra-competitive type by flagrantly snubbing their opponent, but others will feel the pair are showing the pettiness of a small child, unwilling to let common sense overtake their egos.
Instead, Messi and Ronaldo adopted some good old-fashioned Eurovision-style political voting. Ronaldo voted for teammates Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema as the three best players in world, while Messi also voted for three of his teammates Angel di Maria, Andrés Iniesta and Javier Mascherano.
And the duo were far from the only ones who appeared to vote with their heart rather than their head. Both Wales captain Ashley Williams and manager Chris Coleman voted for fellow Welshman Gareth Bale as the world’s best player, while predictably, Germany coach Joachim Low and captain Bastian Schweinsteiger voted for Manuel Neuer, while Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger completed Low’s top three.
(George Weah became the first non-European player to win the award in 1995)
Similarly, Argentina boss Gerardo Martino went for an all-Argentinian top three of Messi, Angel Di Maria and Javier Mascherano, while Portugal coach Fernando Santos chose his captain Ronaldo and Brazil manager Dunga voted for Neymar.
It was a similar story in the journalists’ top three, with Portugal’s Joaquim Rota, for example, going with Cristiano Ronaldo as his number one and snubbing Messi from inclusion in the top three.
Even the most wide-eyed optimist would acknowledge that these voting patterns often at worst indicate a bias or lack of honesty, or at least, show signs of being highly problematic.
Of course, it’s an imperfect system, but one that’s not completely lacking in credibility — after all, the overall top three of Ronaldo, Messi and Neuer still seems a relatively fair outcome. Yet it’s still sad to see such a prestigious award undermined by the obvious cynicism caused by certain judges ostensibly having ulterior agendas.
One potential solution to the problem, or at least a partial attempt at restoring some credibility, would be to bar footballers from voting for their teammates, in addition to preventing journalists from voting for their fellow countrymen.
It would still probably result in Messi and Ronaldo ignoring one another in the voting, but it would at least be a start.
Football awards should be about people having the humility to vote for arch rivals irrespective of personal prejudice or team loyalties. Patrice Evra showed the way forward when he voted for one-time nemesis Luis Suarez in last season’s PFA Player of the Year award. It’s time for everyone else to follow Evra’s example. Life’s too short to be spent trying to manipulate the results of minor awards shows.
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Ballon D'Or Cristiano Ronaldo Gabriel Hanot Lionel Messi Opinion political voting