Graham Hansen came second in the Ballon d’Or election in Paris – Bonmati won again

Caroline Graham Hansen didn’t quite make it at the Gullballen gala in Paris. Aitana Bonmati copied last year’s victory. Graham Hansen was second.

The prestigious Ballon d’Or was awarded on a grand scale in the French capital on Monday night. Graham Hansen himself was instead one of the favorites for the award.

Teammate Bonmati went to the top.

Sports magazine France Football is behind the award. From this year, the European Football Association is jointly responsible.

Graham Hansen delivered brilliantly for a Barcelona side that cleaned up last season. In the final of the competition there was a victory against Lyon Ada Hegerberg. In the Spanish league, it was gold for the fifth season in a row.

This is the first time Graham Hansen has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or. Many were surprised that she was not among those selected last season as well.

Win a BBC award?

If there was no Ballon d’Or award, Graham Hansen was there when the women’s team of the year was announced in Paris on Monday. As expected, that award went to Barcelona.

In 2018, Ada Hegerberg became the first woman to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or award. She remains the only Norwegian player to receive the honor.

Barcelona’s Bonmatí also won the award last year.

In the coming weeks, more honors may await Graham Hansen. She is also among those nominated in the selection of the BBC’s female footballer of the year in 2024. Ada Hegerberg has won that award twice before.

Format changed

Graham Hansen and Norway will play an important EC play-off against Albania at the Ullevaal stadium on Tuesday. Nevertheless, national team manager Gemma Grainger gave the Barcelona star the green light to travel on a private jet to Monday’s awards ceremony in Paris.

The format of the Golden Ball award has changed in recent years. Where the players’ performance was emphasized this calendar year, the players are now evaluated based on their performance last season.

The Golden Ball, in French Ballon d’Or, has been awarded since 1956.

Previous Women’s Ballon d’Or winners:

* 2023: Aitana Bonmati, Spain (Barcelona)

* 2022: Alexia Putellas, Spain (Barcelona)

* 2021: Stories

* 2020: Canceled due to the corona pandemic

* 2019: Megan Rapinoe (Kingdom)

* 2018: Ada Hegerberg (Lyon)