No Ballon d’Or for 2020 after France Football cancel award

It is the first year since 1956 that France Football will not hand out the prestigious individual award. Lionel Messi won last year to pick up his sixth Ballon d’Or overall, with Cristiano Ronaldo a five-time winner. Only Luka Modric broke this 12-year duopoly when winning in 2018.

France's Ligue 1 was the most high-profile division in Europe to cancel the remainder of its campaign due to coronavirus, with the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga all resuming after a three-month break.

This imbalance has prompted France Football to postpone this year’s award, with editor-in-chief Pascal Ferre stating "this cannot - and should not - be treated as an ordinary one”.

"From a sports perspective, two months (January and February), out of the eleven generally required to form an opinion and decide who should lift the trophies, represent far too little to gauge and judge ; without forgetting that the other games were played – or will be played – in unordinary conditions (behind closed doors, with five replacements, Champions League’s Final 8 played in a single game).

"Finally, the equity that prevails for this honorary title will not be warranted, especially when it comes to accounting and preparation : all the award seekers will not be in the same boat, some having seen their season cut short. Therefore, how can we establish a fair comparison? To avoid overly convoluted calculations and projections, we chose the least bad of the options.

"This decision, which was taken of course with all the Group stakeholders, does not delight us but it seems to be the most responsible one. Protecting the credibility and legitimacy of such an award also means ensuring its flawlessness over time.

"The Ballon d’Or will gather again the football big family and enthusiasts in 2021, to relive the happiness that surrounds the ceremonies as we have experienced them in recent years."

With Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema both playing instrumental roles in guiding Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to respective league titles, it feels a shame their efforts will go unrewarded on an individual basis – on the global stage at least.

Plus, with the Champions League set to be played out in August, is it really fair to miss a whole year out and not recognise the best performer of an albeit bizarre year?

Ligue 1’s cancellation, given it is France Football handing out the award, has to be the main reason behind this, particularly as some Paris Saint-Germain players would have been in contention for at least a top 10 finish.

Meanwhile, PSG could still win the Champions League, and if say Kylian Mbappe was the inspiration behind that triumph in August, he would potentially be denied a first Ballon d’Or – something which could prompt France Football to regret their decision.

Ultimately, team trophies outweigh individual awards and there are greater concerns in this year like no other, but it will still go down as a missed opportunity for one player.