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The Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual prize in football, is awarded annually by France Football magazine to the player perceived to be the best in the world.

The winner is chosen through a dual system of voting.

Firstly, journalists from France Football and fellow French publication L’Equipe work together to produce a combined list of 30 official nominees, based on players’ performances in the previous season. This initial selection process sometimes also includes a small number of former players.

Then, one football journalist from each of the top 100 Fifa-ranked nations is invited to cast votes for their top 10 players in order from that shortlist. The 10 players are awarded 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point based on ranking.

Once all journalists have submitted their top 10s, points are tallied and the winner of the Ballon d’Or is the player who accrued the most points in the voting, while the rest are ranked from second to 30th.

If players are tied on points, they are separated by the number of first place votes they received. If they are still level, the number of second place votes are used, and so on.

Journalists taking part in the vote are encouraged to consider three factors:

The way in which the Ballon d’Or is awarded has changed significantly since it was first created in 1956.

Until 1995, only European footballers were eligible for the award. Then, for the next 12 years, players of any origin playing for a club in Europe were eligible. Only from 2007 onwards have all players worldwide been included.

Between 2007 and 2015, the captain and manager of each Fifa-recognised international team was invited to participate in the final vote, but both prior to that period and since then, only journalists have contributed.

From 2010 to 2015, Fifa collaborated with France Football on the award, which was known as the Fifa Ballon d’Or.

Fifa now give out their own separate prize, called the Fifa Best player award, but its lack of long-term history means the Ballon d’Or is generally considered more prestigious.

The women’s award, known as the Ballon d’or Feminine, was first created in 2018.

It has been won twice by Spain internationals Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, as well as once each by Norway’s Ada Hegerberg and the USA’s Megan Rapinoe.

There is a slight nuance in the way the women’s award is voted for – the same system of pre-selection followed by a jury of journalists is used, but only 50 journalists from the top-ranked nations are invited to take part, rather than 100.

Having taken home the trophy eight times, Lionel Messi has won more the Ballon d’Or more often than any other player.

Perennial rival Cristiano Ronaldo is second with five titles, while Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten won three each.

The awarding of the Ballon d’Or sometimes draws criticism from fans and pundits.

In the past, complaints have focused on the fact that the award has historically favoured attacking midfielders and forwards over more defensive players.

Only two centre-backs (Beckenbauer and Fabio Cannavaro) and one goalkeeper (Lev Yashin) have ever won the award.

The jury’s tendency to vote for players whose teams have won the biggest prizes in the game that year, like the World Cup and Champions League, has also caused controversy in the past.

Some believe collective achievement should not impact voting, and that a player who has performed highly as an individual should not miss out because his team was less successful.

Furthermore, the fact that the main award is voted form by journalists, rather than players, coaches, or ex-professionals, has occasionally led to criticism.

The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner will be announced on 22 September 2025 during a ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in central Paris.

A variety of other awards are given out during the ceremony, including:

The following players are considered among the main contenders for the 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or, based on their performances since 1 August 2024 with one more international window of fixtures and the Club World Cup before 31 July 2025.

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French Open 2025

Location: Roland Garros, May 25 – June

With a stunning victory in the fourth round against third-seeded Jessica Pegula, world number 361 Lois Boisson delivered the biggest surprise of the French Open this year.

The Frenchwoman triumphed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 against the US Open runner-up, who was given a wildcard into the main draw after torn her knee last year.

Boisson is making her Grand Slam debut, having previously played a player who is ranked among the top 50 in the world.

The 22-year-old served the match for five to six and won it with a thumping forehand winner after serving for it at five to six in the third set.

Boisson sang “Lois” while Boisson was sung! from the enthralling Court Philippe Chatrier crowd as the moment passed.

“I’m not sure what to say,” she said. She said, “Playing on this court, with this atmosphere, was amazing.”

“I gave it all up, and I ultimately prevailed,” the statement says. I’m hoping to “win it all”!

For Boisson, things were radically different a year ago.

Boisson won her home Grand Slam after a strong run of performances on the third rung of the women’s tennis tour.

However, Boisson tore her left knee ACL a week before the clay-court competition began. She missed nine months of the season because she couldn’t bring herself to watch the French Open last year.

Boisson received neurovisual training to speed up her recovery, including using virtual reality headsets and sight tests to monitor her reactions.

At the April Rouen Open against Harriet Dart, the Briton apologized to the umpire for telling her opponent to use deodorant. She made her WTA Tour return.

Later, Boisson made light of the situation by sharing a modified version of her holding some deodorant with Dove, which she claimed “apparently needs a collab.”

Boisson defeated 24th seed Elise Mertens in her opening match and overcame a second-set “bagel” to defeat compatriot Elsa Jacquemot in the third round, using the wildcard that injury denied her last year.

On Boisson’s right elbow, the word “resilience” is tattooed to remind her that her perseverance is worth it, and that victory over Pegula provides conclusive evidence of this.

A superb backhand winner in the second set gave the Frenchwoman a crucial break after being outplayed and overawed in the first set.

Boisson and Pegula broke up quickly in the third half before returning with a quick break.

Pegula, however, blinked once more at 4-4. Boisson won the match by combining deft touch with devastating power to save break points.

As she won, she roared a cheer as her arms were raised above the court to soak in the atmosphere.

Boisson is the lowest-ranked player to reach the fourth round of the French Open since Serena Williams, who was then world number 451 when she took a break in 2018 to reclaim her position.