Ballon d’Or Award: Organisers introduce new rules

Organisers of the yearly Ballon d’Or Award, France Football, have announced that the 2022 edition of the award ceremony will take place in October.

This is a break from the November/December period they usually hold the ceremony.

They also announced a shift from the January to December calendar, a period during which the performance of footballers is viewed to determine nominees.

According to them, the award will now be issued on the basis of the performance of players during the classic football season, which is from August to July.

“No more January to December,” they tweeted.

“The #ballondor will now be awarded on the basis of a classic football season: August to July! No worries, the Qatar World Cup will count for the 2023 award. Less global but… much more demanding.”

They also announced a change to the process of selecting Ballon d’Or jury members.

“The process of selection for the #ballondor jury members is changing. Ballon d’Or Jury > journalists from country part of the FIFA top 100 ranking. Women’s Ballon d’Or Jury > journalists from country part of the FIFA top 50 ranking,” the tweet read.

Paris St-Germain and Argentina international player, Lionel Messi, won the 2021 Men’s edition of the award while Alexia Putellas of Barcelona won the Women’s edition.

PSG and Italian international goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, won the Yashin Trophy in 2021.