The Amaury group, owner of L’Equipe and France Football, creator of the Ballon d’Or, announced on Friday the signing of a partnership with UEFA to co-organize the award ceremony for the most prestigious individual award in football starting next year. The Amaury group will remain the owner of the Ballon d’Or trophy and will continue to supervise the voting. The electoral college, made up of 100 journalists from the top 100 nations in the Fifa rankings, also remains unchanged. UEFA will, however, be responsible for the commercial rights to the trophy and will co-organize the annual ceremony with the Amaury group.
Two new prizes will also be awarded: those for the best coach for men and women, which will be added to the eight existing trophies (Men’s Ballon d’Or, Women’s Ballon d’Or, Kopa Trophy for best young person, Yachine Trophy for best goalkeeper, Gerd-Müller Trophy for top scorer, men’s club of the year, women’s club of the year and Socrates Prize rewarding players’ societal or charitable initiatives).
“We are very happy with this partnership to co-organize the Ballon d’Or ceremony. It is a trophy created in 1956 by France Football, the same year as the creation of the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, so there is a common history between UEFA and the Ballon d’Or Trophy. declared Jean-Etienne Amaury, general director of the Amaury group. “The ceremony, he added, has taken on a global scale over the past 15 years with worldwide media coverage. So the partnership with UEFA makes perfect sense since it is one of the major players in this sport.”
The annual ceremony is held in Paris. But, added the leader of the Amaury group, there will also be the possibility after 2024 to organize the ceremony in other major European capitals.
“It’s the meeting between the two best brands in football. On the one hand, THE football trophy is the Ballon d’Or, and on the other hand, UEFA has the best competition in the world,” explained UEFA President Alexander Ceferin. , referring to the Champions League. “So there was meaning in doing something together. All players dream of winning a UEFA competition and the Ballon d’Or,” he continued.
Created in 1956, France Football magazine’s Ballon d’Or first crowned the best European player before rewarding the best player in the world from 2007. Its format has also evolved since since 2022 it has taken into account performances during the sporting season and no longer over a calendar year.
