BALLON D’OR: ORGANISERS CLARIFY PLAYER CAN WIN PRESTIGIOUS AWARD WITHOUT LIFTING A TROPHY
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By: Muftau Fatimo
The organisers of the Ballon d’Or have clarified that a footballer can win the prestigious individual award even without lifting a trophy for club or country during the season.
According to the organisers, individual performance carries greater weight in the selection process than the number of titles won by a player’s team.
In a statement, the Ballon d’Or organisers highlighted several players who have previously claimed the award despite ending the season without winning any major team trophy.
However, such occurrences are rare, with only six players accomplishing this feat throughout history.
“Stanley Matthews, the inaugural Ballon d’Or recipient in 1956, was the first to win the award without having secured a team title in the calendar year (the Ballon d’Or has been awarded based on the sporting season since 2022).
Denis Law equaled this achievement in 1964, followed by Gerd Müller in 1970. The German striker netted 10 goals in that year’s World Cup, yet his team finished in third place.
“Kevin Keegan in 1978 and Luis Figo in 2000 also succeeded in winning this prestigious individual accolade despite a season devoid of trophies. The most recent player to achieve this was Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013, marking 11 editions since this last occurred.”
Currently, the leading contenders for this year’s prestigious award, without a team trophy to their name this season, are Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
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