On November 29, the best footballers will also walk the red carpet at the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris. Like men, they will have an appointment to know the name of the chosen one who will receive the Ballon d’Or 2021, two years after the last edition, that of 2020 having been canceled due to Covid-19.
How long has it been around?
Even if this award now seems firmly established, the women’s Ballon d’Or remains a new distinction. The first prize was only awarded in 2018, 62 years later with the creation of the male award. So, inevitably, the news was well received at the time by the main stakeholders.I always wanted to see a woman win this prestigious award
, declared to France Football Marta, Brazilian international legend in her country. It is a step forward towards more equality to see such an award, which is so important in the world of football, also to be awarded to the players.
Who has already won it?
As with the men, the attackers were the most popular players. Three years ago, the first winner was Ada Hegerberg, the Norwegian striker of Olympique Lyonnais. At 23, she made history after a league double – Champions League and a crazy year 2018 in statistics (top scorer at national and European level).
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Playing in the United States, Megan Rapinoe was unable to be physically present at the 2019 Ballon d’Or ceremony. © AFP
A year later, Megan Rapinoe was named best player of the year 2019. Sacred world champion in France a few months earlier, the American winger had been the star of this World Cup through her performances on the ground and her political commitment. and societal outside.
What are the criteria and who votes?
The criteria are the same as those used to designate the men’s Ballon d’Or. Namely: individual and collective performances (prize list) during the year, the player’s class, understood as talent and fair play, as well as her career.
The jury, however, is not the same. Indeed, France Football set up a panel of journalists specializing in women’s football. This year, they will be fifty, of all nationalities, to elect the winner. Each voter has already designated a top 5 in decreasing order of merit and distributed respectively 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 points to these five players. These points are then added together and the result will be revealed on November 29.
Who are the favorites?
For women, this year was marked by the first coronation of FC Barcelona in the Champions League and by Canada’s Olympic medal at the Tokyo Games. Unlike men, they are in fact contested by the A selections and therefore serve as a big competition.
If no player has combined the titles of European champion and Olympic champion, they are on the other hand several to have carried their team to the final. Like Alexia Putellas, the Barça captain who shone all year in midfield. At 27, the Spanish international is a big favorite, she who has already been named the best player of the 2020-2021 season by UEFA.
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Sam Kerr (left) celebrates after scoring a goal against Brazil on October 26, 2021 © AFP
But the votes for the Ballon d’Or could differ, as in 2018 and 2019. Sam Kerr, unhappy finalist with Chelsea in the European Cup and fourth with Australia at the Olympics, or Vivianne Miedema, the striker of Arsenal, which has panicked the counters in club and with the Netherlands, could also have their chance.
On the French side, three players are part of the list of twenty named : Wendie Renard, Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani.
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