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| France Football:Ballon d'Or winner 2025-2026 |
Every year, the eyes of the football world turn to Paris, where millions await the magical moment the identity of the world's best player is revealed. This is the Ballon d'Or, the dream of every footballer, the award that immortalizes its winner in the annals of history. But behind the golden glamour and the dazzling lights of the ceremony lies a long history of controversy, questions, and decisions that have divided the world. With each new edition, the eternal debate returns: did the award truly honor the best player, or did it succumb to other criteria? Before we find out who will take home the 2025 prize from a field of stars like Raphinha, Ousmane Dembélé, Mohamed Salah, or Lamine Yamal, let's delve into the archives of France Football and revisit the most contentious moments when the night of coronation turned into a global debate.
Shifting Sands: What Truly Makes a Ballon d'Or Winner?
Before exploring the examples, it's essential to understand the root of the controversy. The problem lies in the award's seemingly elastic and ever-changing criteria. In some years, major collective trophies (the World Cup and the Champions League) hold the most weight. In other years, extraordinary individual statistics are celebrated, even if they didn't translate into silverware. This inconsistency has created many "victims" of the award. players who produced legendary seasons by any measure, only to find themselves off the podium because the evaluation standards had shifted in their year.
Chapters of Controversy: When the Envelope Held a Surprise
Over the past two decades, there have been defining moments when many felt the award went to the wrong player.
2004: The Magic of Portugal's Deco vs. the Sheen of 'Sheva'
Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko won the award deservedly after a fantastic season with AC Milan. However, a strong chorus of critics argued that the Portuguese midfielder Deco had been gravely overlooked. Deco wasn't just a good player; he was the mastermind and maestro of the historic Porto side that achieved a footballing miracle by winning the UEFA Champions League. He also guided the Portuguese national team to the final of Euro 2004. For many, Deco was the most influential footballer in Europe that year, but the attacking glamour of Shevchenko ultimately stole the spotlight.
2010: When Individual Goals Trumped World Cup Glory
This is perhaps the most controversial edition in modern history. Lionel Messi won his second Ballon d'Or despite a lackluster performance at the 2010 World Cup, where Argentina crashed out in the quarter-finals with zero goals from their star. Meanwhile, the world expected the winner to be one of three other players: Andrés Iniesta or Xavi Hernández, the Barcelona duo who had just led Spain to World Cup glory, or the Dutchman Wesley Sneijder. Sneijder's case was the most compelling argument against the result; he was the hero of Inter Milan's historic quintuple (winning the Serie A, Coppa Italia, Champions League, Italian Super Cup, and Club World Cup) and led the Netherlands to the World Cup final. How could a player who achieved all that lose to someone who failed to shine on the world's biggest stage? The decision sent shockwaves through the football world.
2013: Ribéry's Historic Treble Collides with Ronaldo's Firepower
In 2013, Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a staggering individual performance, scoring 69 goals. However, in terms of trophies, Real Madrid ended the season empty-handed. On the other side of the debate was Frenchman Franck Ribéry, the undisputed star of a Bayern Munich team that conquered Europe and the world, winning the historic treble (Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and Champions League). Logic suggested the award should go to the best player on the best team, a sentiment Ribéry himself expressed. But the result was shocking not only did Ronaldo win, but Ribéry finished third, even behind Messi. The decision was widely considered a "robbery" and an injustice to Bayern's golden generation.
2018: Modrić's World Cup Magic Outshines the World Champions
Luka Modrić's victory was a celebrated moment as it broke the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly, but it was not without its questions. It's true that Modrić led Croatia on an epic, heroic run to the World Cup final. However, his individual statistics and overall season performance were not extraordinary. In contrast, Frenchman Antoine Griezmann had won that same World Cup, being named man of the match in the final, in addition to winning the Europa League. The vote also overlooked the exceptional season of Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and the decisive role of Cristiano Ronaldo in leading Real Madrid to a third consecutive Champions League title. It seemed the narrative of the World Cup underdog story had triumphed over all else.
2021 & 2023: New Victims in the Name of Copa América and the World Cup
The pattern repeated itself in two consecutive editions. In 2021, Robert Lewandowski was, by consensus, the best player on the planet, having been cruelly denied the cancelled 2020 award. But the prize went to Messi, justified by his Copa América victory, ignoring Lewandowski's astronomical stats and the incredible season of Italy's Jorginho, who won both the Euros and the Champions League. Then, in 2023, Erling Haaland produced a perfect season with Manchester City, winning a historic treble and shattering goal-scoring records. But once again, the award went to Messi, rewarding him for his 2022 World Cup win, a decision that sparked debate about the award's evaluation period.
2024: When the Champion of Europe was Ignored for the Champion of the Euros
The 2024 edition felt like the last straw for many. After a legendary season in which he led Real Madrid to La Liga and Champions League titles, Vinícius Júnior was the overwhelming favorite. However, the award surprisingly went to Manchester City's Rodri, justified by his Euro 2024 win with Spain. The irony was palpable: the same Euro tournament that was ignored in Jorginho's case in 2021 was now the decisive factor. This perceived double standard led to Real Madrid boycotting the ceremony.
A Legacy of Debate and an Uncertain Future)
The controversial history of the Ballon d'Or proves that the award, for all its prestige, will always be a subject of debate. It is not an exact science but is subject to the opinions and biases of voters, which change from one year to the next. As the world awaits its newest winner, the question remains: will the award ever escape the shadow of controversy, or is the endless debate itself part of its enduring, irresistible charm?