In a general view, both the Ballon d’Or and FIFA The Best awards practically have the same goal, and fans are eager to have the difference explained between the two prestigious awards with the same goal
To paint a comparison, the Ballon d’Or and The Best are the most significant accolades for individual performances like how the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Champions League are the most prestigious titles for teams in world football.
FIFA The Best awards vs Ballon d’Or, difference meaning explained between the two awards
✅ The Best FIFA Men's Player: Lionel Messi
✅ The Best FIFA Men's Coach: Lionel Scaloni
✅ The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper: Emiliano MartínezArgentina swept The Best FIFA Awards 🇦🇷🏆 pic.twitter.com/Y30NIoCFyg
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 27, 2023
Alexia Putellas has won the Ballon d'Or and #TheBest award for two years in a row. 🏆
Special. 💫 pic.twitter.com/f3QvnTkTy4
— 90min (@90min_Football) February 27, 2023
7 Ballon D'ors
7 FIFA The BestNumber 7 is iconic after all. pic.twitter.com/xHXfZuTklx
— Managing Barça (@ManagingBarca) February 27, 2023
While both the wards share a similar goal to distinguish between the greatest soccer players on Earth they do share some differences.
The Best and the Ballon d’Or difference explained
The main difference between The Best and the Ballon d’Or is that while FIFA presents the ‘The Best’ award, France Football presents the ‘Ballon d’Or’. Moreover, FIFA rewards the best player across the span of a calendar year. The French news magazine on the other hand considers the club season from 2021-22, when choosing the winner.
Both awards also have different voting systems. The Best award has two phases starting with the first phase where a panel of experts chooses the 10 nominees for every award category. Meanwhile, the second phase features journalists, fans, national team managers, and captains who will all have a 25% of weight on the final results.
On the other hand, France Football makes the 30-man shortlist for the award. Following which, a journalist from each country ranks their top five players.
FIFA and the Ballon d’Or a brief merger
The first ever Ballon d’Or was awarded back in 1956. Over the years, FIFA also decided to have its own award for the best footballer and created the FIFA World Player of the Year back in 1991.
However, in 2010, both FIFA and France Football teamed up for a short stint to merge the two prizes together. The result was a the FIFA Ballon d’Or award. The partnership ended up lasting only six years as both parties soon disbanded it. Following the split, FIFA created The Best award in 2016 to once again create its own award.
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