The 2024 Ballon d’Or is just around the corner with one player set to clinch the award from the long list of nominees.
As with every other award in the sport, football fans recently began questioning the integrity of the award, especially after the 2023 edition.
Lionel Messi controversially clinched the 2023 edition. He became the first player to clinch the award despite not playing for one of the top clubs in Europe.
Moreover, Messi’s spell with PSG counted heavily on his nomination for the award but as usual, it was still controversial since he did not record any landmark individual achievement in the said season.
He only won the Ligue title with the club and was knocked out in the UEFA Champions League. However, Messi hit the peak of his career on the international scene in the said year, winning the 2022 World Cup but it was believed that wasn’t enough to win him the coveted individual honour since he recorded a somewhat not-so-stellar individual campaign with the Ligue 1 giants compared to other nominees like Erling Haaland of Manchester City.
Organizers list three criteria to for 2024 Ballon d’Or potential winners
With the 2024 edition around the corner, organizers of the award have now listed three key factors that will qualify a footballer for the award
First on the list is individual performance and impressive character. This denotes key performances of the player for his club and country. Specifically, this criterion focuses on the number of goals, assists, and other key match statistics.
The second factor is ‘team performances and achievements.’ This refers to what the player achieved with his club or national team. Did he win a trophy with club or country? If they won, how many? These are some of the questions the second criterion seeks to address.
The third criterion is ‘class and fair play.’ This is about how the player conducts himself, respects opponents, and adheres to the rules of the game. A tangible measure for this criterion will be the number of games played without being penalized with red and yellow cards.
Ranking Ballon d’Or’s three criteria for the award
The three criteria as listed by Ballon d’Or, are in order of their importance in qualifying footballers for the award. Individual performances come first. This means a standout player could clinch the award whether his club or national team does exceedingly well in the said year or not, provided he performed very well in the season in question.
However, he is more likely to miss out on the award if his/her challenger shines both as an individual and a club or national team player.
This was the crux of the matter in the 2023 edition when Erling Haaland, who won a treble of Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup, scoring a record 50 plus goals, was denied the award for Lionel Messi.
Haaland finished second behind the Argentine despite being widely touted to clinch the award following a sparkling individual and club campaign.
Who do you think will win the 2024 Ballon award this based on the stats listed by the organizers? Comment below.
