5 Most Reputable Awards in Football
5 Most Reputable Awards in Football 1 The Ballon d'Or Since 1956, France Football magazine has been giving out the Ballon d'Or award to the greatest footballer in the world every year. The oldest and still the most significant award in the game, the Ballon d'Or was merged with the FIFA award for six years till 2009 but has since become an independent award. First conceived by sports journalist Gabriel Hanot, the award initially only rewarded the best European player in a season. That changed in 1995 when players from any country active in European leagues became eligible. It then became a global award in 2007. Football journalists were the original voters but in 2007, team captains and coaches were given voting rights. Lionel Messi has won this award seven times followed by Ronaldo who has won it five times. 2 FIFA World Player of the Year FIFA World Player of the Year nominees from 2007 The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award present