Ballon d'Or 2020
The Ballon d'Or is an annual football award presented by France Football and is given to the male player deemed to have performed the best over the year. The list is compiled by the editorial staff of the French publication and the winner is given on the basis of votes given by journalists from around the world, with one representative per nation. Originally it was an award for players from Europe. But in 1995 the Ballon d'Or was expanded to include all players from any origin that have been active at any European club. Finally, in 2007 it became a global prize with all professional footballers from around the world being eligible to win the prize.
The Ballon d'Or is arguably the most prestigious award in football. It has been awarded by France Football every year since 1956. The former England international Sir Stanley Matthews was the first player to win the award. The award has been dominated by C. Ronaldo and L. Messi for the last ten years as they have won the award five times each, which is more than any other player in the history of the award.