The Ultimate Ballon d'Or Quiz

A Summary of the Ballon d'Or

• The Ballon d'Or is an annual football award presented by French news magazine France Football since 1956.
• Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year.
• The Ballon d'Or honours the male player deemed to have performed the best over the previous year, based on voting by football journalists.
• After 2007, coaches and captains of national teams were also given the right to vote.
• Lionel Messi has won the award a record seven times, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five.
• The award shows a bias in favor of attacking players, which has increased in recent years, especially after 2007.
• Prior to 1995, 10 leagues supplied Ballon d'Or winners, whereas only England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain have supplied winners since 1995.
• The award became a global prize in 2007 with all professional footballers from around the world being eligible.
• In 2020, no award was given for the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic cutting short the seasons of football clubs worldwide.
• In 2022, France Football modified the rules for the Ballon d'Or. They changed the timing so that awards were given not for achievements during a calendar year, but for a football season.
• Nine players have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, and the Ballon d'Or during their careers.
• France Football has given additional awards such as "Goalscorer of the Year," "Best Club of the Year," and the "Socrates Trophy."