The Ballon d’Or (English: Golden Ball) is an annual affiliation soccer award introduced by French information journal France Soccer since 1956 to the participant deemed to have carried out the perfect over the earlier 12 months. Till 2007, solely European gamers had been eligible for the award. Since 2008, nevertheless, all gamers, no matter nationality, have been eligible. Since 2010, the award is sponsored by German sportswear firm Adidas.
The award is determined by a jury of journalists from all over the world. The jury votes on a shortlist of 30 gamers, with every juror choosing their prime 5 gamers. The participant with probably the most votes wins the award.