UEFA getting their say in the Ballon d'Or show - the ceremony leaves Paris

A few days ago, Lionel Messi lifted the Ballon d'Or for the eighth and almost certainly the last time. The prestigious trophy awarded to the best player in the world (from 2022 looking at performance in a season, not a calendar year) went to a player who does not play in Europe for the first time. This was made possible by a change in the rules in 2007, since in the past only Europeans, and then foreigners playing on that continent, received the award. Since introducing the new rule 16 years ago, footballers from all over the world have competed, regardless of nationality.

It is not often the case that France Football (in cooperation with its brother L'Equipe) changes the selection criteria it devised back in 1956, but it does happen. Thus, for the sake of the alleged 15,000,000 euros, the French newspaper agreed to include people from FIFA in the selection in 2009. The cooperation lasted until 2016, when the world's biggest football organization separated and founded its own "The Best" award.

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According to news from France, the Amaury Group, the company that owns France Football and L'Equipe, has again decided to involve a "third party", but this time not in the selection of the best, but only in the organization of the ceremony - the European Football Federation (UEFA).

"There is a common history between us, because the Ballon d'Or was created in 1956, one year after the European Champions Cup, which L'Equipe co-founded. The ceremony has since evolved and become global, so the partnership with UEFA makes perfect sense because it is a global factor who can bring together the best players and personalities from this sport. We will now accelerate the international profile of the ceremony. We felt the enthusiasm of UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin as well as the clubs, which convinced us that we are making the right move," said Jean-Étienne Amaury, general director of the Amaury Group.

Essentially, therefore, nothing crucial will change during the election. The criteria for the best players and teams remain the same, the right to vote, as it premiered this year, will continue to be held by journalists from the 100 best-ranked countries in the FIFA list, but after 2024 the ceremony will move from Paris, where it has been held since 2016.

"We talked with Ceferin about the possibility of organizing the ceremony in other European capitals in the future. This will not be the case next year, because Paris will be the host again, but there is a great possibility that we will then relocate the ceremony," revealed Amaury.

The first man of UEFA does not think that the 'Golden Ball' will become exclusively a 'European trophy' due to the influence of that organization.

"UEFA is a global brand. You can say whatever you want, but the fact is that it is a global brand. More than 50 percent of the people who watch our competitions are not European. That's why I think the Ballon d'Or will not become a European trophy, but will remain the biggest trophy", Ceferin pointed out.