The greatest football players and coaches in the world currently have two opportunities
each year to scoop up coveted individual 1️⃣ honours with both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA The
Best awards on the calendar.
Each ceremony recognises individuals who have made 1️⃣ their
mark on the game and they have proven to be a good way to measure who has shone
brightest 1️⃣ during specific eras.
While these are accolades any player would hope to win,
there are a few key differences between the 1️⃣ Ballon d'Or and FIFA's The Best.
The
Sporting News looks at what sets each award apart and which one is arguably 1️⃣ the bigger
deal.
MORE: Ballon d'Or 2024 winners, rankings, final awards results
What's the
difference between Ballon d'Or and FIFA The Best?
More 1️⃣ than just a name differentiates
these two awards. We break down some of the key points of difference below.
History
If
the 1️⃣ Ballon d'Or sounds more familiar that's because it has been around a lot longer
than the FIFA The Best awards.
The 1️⃣ first Ballon d'Or was handed out in 1956, while
FIFA's awards in their current form were only rolled out recently 1️⃣ in 2024.
Voting
Both
awards are decided by a very different set of voters.
Journalists from around the world
have exclusively decided the 1️⃣ winner of the Ballon d'Or awards, with the exception of
the 2010-2024 period, which saw a collaboration alongside FIFA (see 1️⃣ below).
FIFA's The
Best arguably uses a more democratic system that takes into account votes from national
team coaches, national team 1️⃣ captains, journalists and fans.
Schedule
Another key
difference between both awards is when the voting is held and the winners are
named.
The 1️⃣ Ballon d'Or is generally handed out in October and now bases its winners on
their performances across a single season.
FIFA, 1️⃣ however, hold their award ceremony
either at the beginning or end of a calendar year with winners judged on their
1️⃣ performances across that time frame. The latest Best award ceremony takes place in
January, 2024.
Trophy
Last but not least, the silverware 1️⃣ players take home for each
award is inevitably quite different.
The Ballon d'Or takes the form of a golden ball,
while 1️⃣ FIFA's The Best is a platinum trophy that resembles a smaller version of the
World Cup.
Did FIFA ever give out 1️⃣ the Ballon d'Or?
While FIFA now has its own,
distinctly different awards, they did once team up with French publication France
1️⃣ Football to hand out the Ballon d'Or.
That relationship began in 2010 and saw FIFA
shelve their World Player of the 1️⃣ Year award as a result. The player and coach votes,
which decided that award and now feed into The Best, 1️⃣ were combined with the Ballon
d'Or's ballot.
The collaboration saw the accolade renamed the 'FIFA Ballon d'Or' before
both parties went 1️⃣ their separate ways in 2024 and FIFA launched their own awards
promptly afterwards.
MORE: FIFA The Best all-time winners
Which players have 1️⃣ won both
Ballon d'Or and FIFA The Best?
Despite their many differences, both awards have often
been won by the same 1️⃣ players in the same years.
The only variation to date in the men's
game came in 2024 when Lionel Messi controversially 1️⃣ won the Ballon d'Or and Robert
Lewandowski was awarded FIFA's The Best.
Only a few votes separated the players across
both 1️⃣ awards with many fans and players critical of Lewandowski not taking the Ballon
d'Or.
Why Ballon d'Or is a bigger deal 1️⃣ than FIFA The Best
With more than 50 years of
extra history, the Ballon d'Or holds a special place in the 1️⃣ heart of the footballing
world as an annual tradition.
The current generation of players saw their idols lift
the golden ball 1️⃣ trophy, and it continues to have a real aura around it.
While FIFA has
a greater profile around the world when 1️⃣ compared to Ballon d'Or organisers France
Football, its The Best awards still need time to become more established as the 1️⃣ honour
that all players dream of from the day they lace up their boots.
"All the work I did, I
never 1️⃣ gave up. It was a childhood dream," Benzema said about winning the 2024 Ballon
d'Or. Another decade likely needs to 1️⃣ elapse before players grow up saying the same
thing about FIFA's The Best trophy.
