The coveted Ballon d’ Or has fascinated not only the players
who are vying for the honor of holding it, but also the fans who eagerly await
the announcements. And as the 2014 World Cup draws near, many would definitely
want to know more about the soccer trophy.
The origins
Like many of the other awards associated with the World Cup,
the Ballon d’ Or traces its roots back to France. The award takes its name from
the Ballon d’ Or award given by popular soccer magazine France Football to
players in the European football scene that had shown an exemplary performance.
The first award was given to English player Sir Stanley Matthews in 1956.
For almost four decades, the Ballon d’ Or was exclusively
the domain of European players from European ball clubs. These all changed in
1995, when the award was opened to all players regardless of nationality, as
long as they are currently playing for a European team. In 2007, the award was
further opened to more players, when it was decided that players from clubs all
over the world are now eligible for it. And after being more of side award
given by an independent body for much of its history, in 2013, it was combined
with the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
The names
Just looking at the names of the players who have received
the coveted award reveals a spectacular amount of story for the game itself.
The very first recipient of the award, Matthews, for
instance is considered to be an exceptional player during his heydays, but
never received any trophies aside from that which he won for Blackpool in 1953.
Nevertheless, he was such a talented player, that he had kept kicking when most
other players are already slowing down. In fact, he actually received the d’ Or
at the ripe old age of 41.
Another notable player in the history of the Ballon d’ Or is
Liberian forward George Weah. Weah was notable for having snatched both it and
the FIFA World Player of the Year Award from the domination of European and
South American kickers in 1995. But Weah showed why he deserves the award and
why Africa is not to be overlooked on the field.
By the numbers