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Conceived by sports writers Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran, the Ballon d'Or was based exclusively on voting by football journalists up until 2006. Originally, it was awarded only to players from Europe and was widely known as the European Footballer of the Year award. In 1995, the Ballon d'Or was expanded to include all players of any origin that have been active at European clubs. The award became a global prize in 2007 with all professional footballers from around the world being eligible; additionally, coaches and captains of national teams were also given the right to vote, before reverting to just journalists in 2016.
Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year, and was known as the FIFA Ballon d'Or. That partnership ended in 2016, and the award reverted to the Ballon d'Or, while FIFA also reverted to its own separate annual award, The Best FIFA Men's Player. In 2022, France Football modified the rules for the Ballon d'Or. The timing was changed so that awards were given not for achievements during a calendar year, but for a football season, and it was also determined that only a single journalist from each country in the top 100 of the FIFA Men's World Ranking would be allowed to vote. UEFA co-organizes the Ballon d'Or gala since 2024, with France Football retaining the voting system and the Ballon d'Or name.
Lionel Messi won the award a record eight times, and he is also the current holder of the Ballon d'Or, having won its most recent edition in 2023. Cristiano Ronaldo won it five times and amassed a record eighteen nominations in his career. Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten each won the award three times, while Franz Beckenbauer, Ronaldo, Alfredo Di Stfano, Kevin Keegan and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge have each won it twice.
The Ballon d'Or is widely regarded as football's most prestigious and valuable individual award.[1][2][3][4] Nevertheless, critics have occasionally described the award as a "popularity contest",[5][6] criticizing its voting process,[7] its bias in favour of attacking players,[8] and the idea of systematically singling out an individual in a team sport.[9][10]
Stanley Matthews of England was the inaugural winner of the Ballon d'Or.[11][12] Prior to 2007, the award was based exclusively on voting by football journalists and was generally known as the continental European Footballer of the Year award in English language and much international media.[13][14] Even after 2007, it was usually identified with and referred to by that name because of its origin as a European award,[15][16] until it was merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year award cementing its new worldwide claim.[17][18] Liberia's George Weah, the only African recipient, became the first non-European to win the award in 1995, the year that rules of eligibility were changed and the Ballon d'Or was expanded to include all players of any origin, active at European clubs;[19][20] two years later, Ronaldo of Brazil became the first South American to claim the award,[19] and he is still the youngest winner ever at 21 years and 96 days old.[21] The award became a global prize in 2007 with all professional footballers from clubs around the world being eligible;[22] additionally, coaches and captains of national teams were also given the right to vote,[14][21] before reverting to just journalists in 2016.[7]
Between 2010 and 2015 inclusive, the award was merged with a similar one, the FIFA World Player of the Year award, to create the FIFA Ballon d'Or,[28] which was awarded to the world's best male player before FIFA and France Football decided not to continue the merging agreement.[2][21] The recipients of the joint FIFA Ballon d'Or are considered as winners by both award organizations.[14][29][30] After 2011, UEFA created the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award to maintain the tradition of the original Ballon d'Or of specifically honouring a football player from Europe.[31] In 2020, Groupe Amaury, to which France Football belongs,[32] decided that no award would be given for the year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on association football.[1][33] The widespread public opinion is that the 2020 Ballon d'Or should have been awarded to Robert Lewandowski.[34][35][36]
France Football modified the rules for the Ballon d'Or in 2022. They changed the timing so that awards were given not for achievements during a calendar year, but for a football season.[21][37] It was also decided that only a single journalist from each country in the top 100 of the FIFA Men's World Ranking would be allowed to vote.[7] The plebiscite had previously been open to all countries since 2007.[21][37] This brought the Ballon d'Or into line with the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award which was slightly less dominated by exclusive leagues and, in particular, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the 2010s.[37] UEFA co-organizes the Ballon d'Or gala since 2024, with France Football retaining the voting system and the Ballon d'Or name.[32][38]
In 2021, France Football awarded Robert Lewandowski with a Striker of the Year award for scoring the most goals the previous season.[46] Following Gerd Mller's death in 2021, the award was renamed for the 2022 edition to the Gerd Mller Trophy.[47]
Starting from 2022, France Football gives out the Scrates Award, which acknowledges footballers for their humanitarian work.[48] The award is named after late Brazilian footballer Scrates, who co-founded the Corinthians Democracy movement, in opposition to the ruling military dictatorship in Brazil during the 1980s.[49]
An honorary award, under the name Super Ballon d'Or, was awarded to Alfredo Di Stfano in 1989,[7] who was voted the best multiple-time Ballon d'Or winner ahead of Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini.[54][55]
In addition Diego Maradona received an honorary Ballon d'Or in 1995 for his services to football dubbed the Golden Ballon d'Or.[7][54][56] Pel also received a similar award during the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony dubbed the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur.[7][57]
In 1999, France Football voted Pel as the Football Player of the Century after consulting their former Ballon d'Or recipients.[7] Among the 34 previous winners, 30 cast their votes, while Stanley Matthews, Omar Svori and George Best refused to vote, and Lev Yashin had died. Each voter was allotted five votes worth up to five points; however, Di Stfano only chose a first place, Platini a first and second place, and George Weah two players for fifth place. Pel was named the greatest by 17 voters, receiving almost double the number of points earned by the second place, Diego Maradona.[58]
An all-time all-star team, the Ballon d'Or Dream Team, was published in December 2020 by France Football, honouring football's greatest players of all time.[60][61] A second and a third team were also published.[62]
Goldenball is a team registration-based program for 3rd-6th grade. We rely on volunteer coaches to form and register their team. We take a limited number of teams for each grade and a waitlist will be formed once we meet the capacity our league can accommodate.
Thank you for participating in 23-24 Goldenball season. The next Goldenball youth basketball team registration opportunity will begin in mid-October. Registration forms will be posted at the end of September. In the off-season individuals who are seeking to be a part of Goldenball please talk to parents and form your team and decide on a volunteer parent coach. We also recommend checking with the Sun School Coordinator or PTA at your school to see if they are able to help form teams.
Volunteer coaching is a big task, and our program could not run smoothly without your efforts. Here are some tips for keeping your team organized. For more detailed information see the attached guidelines and league rules.
Seven games played on Saturdays, January 13-February 24, 2024. The league is divided into two halves, the first 3 weeks, followed by a realignment if necessary, and no break between halves. Games are played at various Portland Public Schools and Parks Community Centers. Game sites may vary from the first half to the second half. (Look under practice description for practice location list).
The City of Portland ensures meaningful access to City programs, services, and activities to comply with Civil Rights Title VI and ADA Title II laws and reasonably provides: translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary aids and services. Request these services online or call 503-823-4000, Relay Service: 711.
The next men's World Cup will be held held jointly in Canada, USA and Mexico 2026, for the women the next will be Brazil in 2027. See more firsts and other trivia, a quiz, and also information about each country at the World Cup. Most importantly, who are the winners?
Football (some call it soccer) is the world's most popular sport. There are many major football tournaments, the pinnacle is the FIFA World Cup. See a calendar of what is coming up. There have been many legends of the game, particularly winners of the Ballon d'Or. For players, there are articles about Football Fitness and Fitness Testing.
The largest sporting event in the world is the Olympic Games, but there are many other multi-sport games. In terms of single sport events, nothing beats the FIFA World Cup. To see what's coming up, check out the calendar of major sporting events.
This meditation is one that I learned years ago and practice often. It takes about 10 minutes, but the calming softness it leaves within me lasts much, much longer. If meditation is new to you, I promise that this one has just enough to focus on to help keep your mind from wandering. It is a good one to practice anytime, but I find it particularly helpful when I feel stressed or anxious.
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