Lionel Messi with the Ballon d'Or in 2021 after winning for a record seventh time
Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or in 2021 for a record seventh time
The Ballon d'Or awards given to the world's best male and female footballer will now be judged on performances over a season and not a calendar year.

France Football magazine - organisers of the prestigious award - have also decided to reduce the number of judges.


A panel of 170 journalists will be cut to 100 for the men's award, while the women's panel will contain 50 judges.

France Football's Pascal Ferre said: "Before we were judging based on two half seasons. This will be clearer."

"It's an opportunity to give it a new impetus," the France Football editor added.

The changes announced follow criticism for the choice of Paris St-Germain striker Lionel Messi as Ballon d'Or winner in 2021, when voices across football felt Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski deserved the honour.

Messi won the famous trophy for a record seventh time but Lewandowski - who finished second - had scored 41 Bundesliga goals in the 2020-21 season as he helped Bayern win a ninth consecutive league title.

Ferre said more emphasis will also be placed on the performances of individual players rather than on trophies won by a player's team.

The change to the number of judges used will see 100 journalists from the highest ranked countries in men's football used and 50 from the top-ranked women's nations.

On its official Twitter account, France Football described the move as "less global but… much more demanding".

The next Ballon d'Or awards will take place September or October 2022 and will be based on the season that ended in July with the women's Euro 2022.

The men's World Cup - which takes place in Qatar in November and December - will not be considered by judges until the 2023 awards.

Lalasticlala mynd44 seun semid4lyfe honeric01

Ok

Lewy all d way e too sure for am

CR7 on the alart

Enoch3721:

Lalasticlala mynd44 seun semid4lyfe honeric01

Lol. Their fave has been too poor they had to change it... The call out was too much , they want to save face .

We have moved to the next favorite award after FIFA they can give their ballon D'or to the fraud again we don't care

After the deed was done

critics would still complain....all still pained about messi 7th win

Enoch3721:
Lewy all d way e too sure for am

yeah....bt sallah, benz or whoever wins the UCL gets upper hands..

Ofunwa111:






Lol. Their fave has been too poor they had to change it... The call out was too much , they want to save face .

wat about the rival of their fave? is he banned from winning the award n catching up with Leo??

Lamasta:
We have moved to the next favorite award after FIFA they can give their ballon D'or to the fraud again we don't care

who be the we? if united miraculously wins the UCL n cr7 is a hot favorite for the balloon, na u go still say its d most prestigious award bcoz cr7 is about to win it....hypocrite.

Amotolongbo:
After the deed was done

which deed was done? d same deed u didn't see wen cr7 dt won nothing robbed Ribery dt won all trophies abi ?

paulolee:

which deed was done? d same deed u didn't see wen cr7 dt won nothing robbed Ribery dt won all trophies abi ?

And another deed in 2010 when Wesley Sneijder won almost all the cups apart from the World Cup after losing out in the final!

2 - 1

But I wonder why Leo Messi’s fans are getting too aggressive these days.

paulolee:

wat about the rival of their fave? is he banned from winning the award n catching up with Leo??

Is it not you again ? I have told you before, you are not worth arguing or discussing football with at all... You know I also saw on one thread, where you said Messi spearheaded the Remontada, I laughed my ass out, cos everyone in the world knows that was the Neymar and Iniesta's show. . So guy, rest !

It's not from today that awards started to change format.

FIFA WPOTY changed its format in 2005/2006, in 2010 and in 2016. It did not detract anything from all those who won the award during these periods.

Ballon d'or might be changing its format just to appear sensitive to the cries of all these pseudo-Lewy supporters, but the changes can never belittle Messi's 7th Ballon dor win.

Why? Messi won based on the criteria the Ballon D'or had set all these years. It's been the same criteria that has been in force since on the basis of which Modric, Cristiano & even Kaka had won the award. If you think changing the rules now affects Messi's win, then it also affects Cristiano, Modric & Kaka's wins.

Lewy & Jorginho all had same opportunity to win under this same criteria, but they didnt cos Messi was better overall on that basis.

Good that the award is evolving in line with the social media age but it's for a going forward basis and cannot taint the past.

Ballon D'or remains the most prestigious award a footballer can aspire to win.

paulolee:

yeah....bt sallah, benz or whoever wins the UCL gets upper hands..

yeah I know had it been that Salah won Afcon we would have a clear cut view of who is winning it but right now all eyes are on lewy cuz he has already scored 40+ goals this season in all competitions

Ofunwa111:






Lol. Their fave has been too poor they had to change it... The call out was too much , they want to save face .

are u serious? B4 I continue are u talking about Ronaldo or Messi

Lalasticlala mynd44 seun and Co TP please ooo

paulolee:

who be the we? if united miraculously wins the UCL n cr7 is a hot favorite for the balloon, na u go still say its d most prestigious award bcoz cr7 is about to win it....hypocrite.

Paul how far na how the PSG Madrid game na
Shay bi una say PSG has won the UCL even before the season start self take heart bro shit happens