Rules & Awardsmedium

The Ballon d'Or, awarded annually to the world's best player, was first presented in which year?

Q: The Ballon d'Or, awarded annually to the world's best player, was first presented in which year?

1956. The Ballon d'Or was first awarded in 1956 by France Football magazine, initially open only to European players.

Q: Which player won the very first Ballon d'Or in 1956?

Stanley Matthews. England's Stanley Matthews won the first-ever Ballon d'Or in 1956, at the time still playing top-level football at the age of 41.

Q: Until which year was the Ballon d'Or restricted to European players only, before being opened up to all nationalities?

1994. The Ballon d'Or was restricted to European players until 1994 (and only to players at European clubs until 1995), after which it became open to all nationalities and any club worldwide.

Q: The FIFA World Player of the Year award, later merged with the Ballon d'Or before splitting again, was first presented in which year?

1991. FIFA introduced its own World Player of the Year award in 1991, which ran alongside the separate Ballon d'Or until the two were merged from 2010 to 2016.

Q: FIFA's annual award for the best goal of the year, first given in 2009, is named after which Hungarian football legend?

Ferenc Puskas. The FIFA Puskas Award, first given in 2009, is named after Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas, honouring the best goal scored during the eligibility period.