The Ballon d'Or, awarded annually by France Football, is widely regarded as the most prestigious individual honour in world football. Reserved for the player deemed the best over the course of a season, the award represents excellence, influence, and integrity both on and off the pitch.

While the gleaming golden trophy is instantly recognisable, the process behind selecting the winner often raises questions. Despite efforts to make the voting system more transparent, many fans and observers remain unclear about the specific criteria and methodology. Here's a comprehensive breakdown of how the Ballon d'Or is decided, who votes, and what exactly voters are instructed to consider.

How the Ballon d'Or Is Decided: The Criteria

France Football has outlined three main pillars that guide the voting process:

Individual Performance and Impact

Voters are expected to assess how influential and consistent a player was during the season, especially in crucial moments.

Team Achievements

A player’s contribution to their team’s success—both at club and international level—is a significant factor.

Conduct and Sportsmanship

The award also places value on professionalism, fair play, and how a player represents the game beyond just their stats.

Notably, voters are instructed not to consider:

Career achievements outside the specified season

Past Ballon d'Or wins

Overall global fame or reputation

This ensures that each edition of the Ballon d'Or strictly recognises performance within a defined timeframe, focusing on recent impact rather than legacy.

New Timeframe for Consideration

In a major shift from its original format, the Ballon d'Or is no longer based on the traditional calendar year. Instead, France Football now aligns the evaluation period with the European football season.

For the 2024/25 Ballon d'Or, the timeframe runs from August 2024—marking the start of major domestic leagues—through to the end of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. This adjustment allows for a more coherent assessment of a player’s seasonal contribution.

Who Is Eligible to Win the Ballon d'Or?

The award has evolved significantly since its inception in 1956:

Initially, only European players playing for European clubs were eligible.

In 1995, it expanded to include non-European players based in Europe.

Since 2007, all professional players worldwide have become eligible, regardless of nationality or league.

Despite the global eligibility, most winners continue to come from European-based clubs, given the high visibility and competitive standards of leagues like the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1.

Who Votes for the Ballon d'Or?

The selection process is divided into two key phases:

1. Nominee Shortlist Creation

France Football editors, in collaboration with L’Équipe and sometimes former players or previous winners, compile a 30-player shortlist based on the outlined criteria.

2. Voting by International Journalists

A jury of journalists from around the world then votes on the winner. Previously, voters came from all 180 FIFA member nations. However, since the reforms, only journalists from the top 100 FIFA-ranked countries are eligible to vote.

Each journalist ranks their top 10 players, with points assigned as follows:

1st place – 15 points

2nd place – 12 points

3rd place – 10 points

4th to 10th place – descending from 8 to 1 point

The player with the highest total score across all ballots wins the Ballon d'Or.

In the event of a tie:

The player with more first-place votes prevails.

If still tied, second-place votes are compared, and so on.

To ensure credibility and trust in the process, all individual votes are published shortly after the winner is announced.

The Ballon d'Or remains football's ultimate individual accolade, a symbol of unmatched brilliance over the course of a season.