This 66th edition of the prestigious award will take place again at the Châtelet Theater like the 2021 edition, in which the winners were the Argentine Lionel Messi for the seventh time and the Spanish Alexia Putellas in the women’s category.
The Ballon d’Or nominees The men’s and women’s trophies as well as the Kopa (Best Junior) and Yachine (Best Goalkeeper) trophies will be unveiled on August 12.
The award has taken a new turn this year with a formula change announced in March: take into account the sports season and not the calendar year, it will have a smaller jury and clearer award criteria.
Individual performances and the “decisive and impressive character of the candidates” will be the number 1 criteria, ahead of “collective appearance and trophies won” and “the class of the player and his sense of fair playAccording to the new regulation.