Writers 
Has the Ballon d’Or Lost Its Credibility?
The Ballon d’Or used to mean something different.
When you heard that a player had won the Ballon d’Or, you didn’t really need much explanation. It meant that, over the course of that year, they had been recognised as the best player in the world. It was one of the biggest individual achievements a footballer could have.
But nowadays, the feeling around the award has changed.
People still care about it. People still watch the ceremony, argue about the rankings and celebrate when their favourite player wins. But at the same time, there’s this growing feeling that the Ballon d’Or isn’t as respected as it used to be.
And honestly, it’s easy to understand why.
Fans Don’t Trust It Like Before
One of the biggest problems is that fans don’t always understand how certain decisions are made.
Every year, there are players putting up crazy numbers, winning important trophies and performing when it matters most. Yet when the final rankings come out, fans are sometimes left wondering how the voters came to those conclusions.
And that’s when the arguments start.
You’ll see fans saying things like, “How did he finish there?” or “How did he win when this other player had a better season?”
At that point, the conversation stops being about celebrating football and starts becoming an argument about the credibility of the award.
The Ballon d’Or doesn’t have to make everybody happy. That’s impossible. But people need to believe that the decision makes sense.
Has the Narrative Become Too Important?
Another reason people have lost faith in the award is the importance of narratives.
Football isn’t just statistics. Of course it isn’t. You can’t reduce a player’s entire season to goals and assists.
But sometimes it feels like the story surrounding a player becomes just as important as what they actually did on the pitch.
A player might have an incredible season, but another player could have the bigger story. Maybe they won a major international trophy. Maybe they completed a huge comeback. Maybe it’s their first time being seriously considered for the award.
Suddenly, the conversation changes.
And that’s where fans start asking whether they’re voting for the best footballer or the best story.
The Messi and Ronaldo Era Raised the Bar
The Messi and Ronaldo era probably made things even harder.
For years, the Ballon d’Or was basically the centre of one of the greatest debates football has ever seen.
Messi or Ronaldo?
Every season, fans compared everything. Goals, assists, trophies, big games, individual performances — literally everything.
The award became a symbol of greatness.
Because of that, people became used to an extremely high standard. When those two were competing, winning the Ballon d’Or felt like winning a battle between footballing giants.
Now that era is over, the award is still trying to live up to the standard it created.
That’s not easy.
Social Media Made Everything Worse
Social media has also completely changed how people experience the Ballon d’Or.
Back then, you might watch the ceremony, hear the result and discuss it with your friends the next day.
Now?
The second a ranking drops, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok go crazy 😭.
Every vote gets analysed. Every position gets questioned. Fans dig up statistics to prove their favourite player deserved to finish higher. People argue over journalists’ votes and accuse each other of bias.
And because football fans are so passionate, the Ballon d’Or has become almost impossible to discuss without someone getting angry.
The award itself hasn’t necessarily become less important.
The internet has just made every controversial decision ten times louder.
So, Has It Actually Lost Its Credibility?
I think it has — at least to some extent.
Not because the trophy itself doesn’t matter.
It absolutely does.
Winning the Ballon d’Or is still an incredible achievement. Any footballer would love to have their name alongside the legends who have won it.
But there’s a difference between being prestigious and being unquestioned.
The Ballon d’Or is still prestigious.
It just isn’t unquestioned anymore.
There are now plenty of fans who see it as one opinion rather than the final answer to the question of who was the world’s best player.
And maybe that’s not completely a bad thing.
Football is subjective. Two people can watch the same player and come away with completely different opinions. One person might value trophies, another might value individual brilliance, and another might care more about consistency.
The problem is when people stop trusting the process behind the award.
What Needs to Change?
The Ballon d’Or doesn’t need to become perfect.
It just needs to become more transparent.
Fans should have a clearer understanding of what matters most when players are being judged. Is it individual performance? Team trophies? Big-game performances? Consistency? Statistics? Or everything together?
Whatever the criteria are, people need to understand them.
Because at the end of the day, the Ballon d’Or is supposed to celebrate football’s best.
And if fans are spending more time questioning the award than celebrating the player who won it, then something clearly needs to change.
The Ballon d’Or still has the name. It still has the history. It still has the iconic trophy.
But its biggest challenge now isn’t staying famous.
It’s getting football fans to believe in it again. 🏆⚽