The difference between The Best FIFA Football Awards and the Ballon d'Or
By Max Parsons
Football fans all over the world will be keenly awaiting The Best FIFA Football Awards, where the planet's greatest players and coaches gather to be recognised as such.
Since its inception in 2016, there have been more than a few questions about its role alongside the long-standing and mightily prestigious Ballon d'Or ceremony.
The value and significance of each can be argued for a long time, but it's important to know the difference between the two ceremonies and their respective awards - and there are a few.
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What's the difference between The Best FIFA Football Awards and the Ballon d'Or?
The prize-giver
The most blatant difference between the two ceremonies is probably the bodies behind them.
While the Ballon d'Or is famously given out by French football publication France Football, The Best is an award handed out by football's global governing body FIFA.
FIFA decided to change the way the greatest figures of the sport were rewarded with individual honours in order to put that power into the hands of all stakeholders within the beautiful game (more on that later).
The period of time taken into account
A small detail yet crucial difference between the two awards ceremonies is the time period they take into account when deciding upon successful recipients.
While the Ballon d'Or crowns the best footballers over each calendar year, The Best FIFA Football Awards rewards the best players and coaches over the course of each season - from summer to summer.
This year, however, will be slightly different (shock). A winter 2022 World Cup has forced FIFA to delay their awards ceremony to take into account the action in Qatar - as if it had taken place directly following the conclusion of the 2021/22 campaign - as they did when Luka Modric was crowned The Best in 2018.
When the ceremonies usually take place
As a result of the delay, The Best will take place in February rather than its usual slot of around September - after, and not in the middle of, domestic campaigns.
The Ballon d'Or, on the other hand, is normally scheduled for the winter considering its evaluation of events throughout the calendar year.
The voting
An incredibly important difference between the two awards is also the decision-making process.
The Ballon d'Or is awarded after journalists from each of the 100 highest-ranked FIFA nations cast their votes on players from a 30-man shortlist drawn up by France Football.
The voting process of The Best FIFA Football Awards, however, is much more accessible and representative of the entire footballing world.
While media representation is a key factor in voting, so are three other areas. Along with journalists, the coaches of all FIFA-affiliated nations around the world, those nations' captains and, crucially, fans are able to take part in the voting.
Each area is given an identical 25% stake in the eventual decision, making the awards all the more indicative of public opinion.