The FIFA Ballon d’Or is a thing of the past.
Sort of.
Football’s top individual award is undergoing a makeover following France Football’s announcement that the magazine’s contract with FIFA has come to an end.
Voting for the Ballon d’Or, which France Football first awarded to the top European player in 1956, will return to its original process, as journalists from around the world will be tasked with voting for the best international player representing a European team instead of the decision being made by football coaches and players.
Related: France Football splits with FIFA over Ballon d’Or
Instead of choosing from 23 players, France Football also revealed the selection process will see the crop of players rise to 30, and a list of the final three contestants will not be announced.
Only Lionel Messi, who is the current holder of the trophy, and Cristiano Ronaldo have won the Ballon d’Or.
The announcement results in the end of combining the Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s World Player of the Year awards, a tradition that began in 2009 when the two organisations merged their prizes.
FIFA is expected to announce it will once again hand out the World Player of the Year award.
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