The Golden Ball is the most prestigious football award that is awarded to the best player at the end of the year.
It was first handed in 1956 and since then, every year fans of a player freeze in anticipation of the announcement of the voting results.
This was especially true in the era of the total dominance of Messi and Ronaldo, when all the fans were divided into 2 camps.
The history of this prize is rich in interesting facts, which we will talk about.
10. The incomprehensible choice and composition of the "jury"
The Golden Ball has no judges or jury, as such, and a large group of specialists selects the applicants.
Many people are dissatisfied with the fact that these specialists are changing: the journalists vote, then the fans, coaches and team captains. Because of this, the award is often blamed for bias.
Another reason for dissatisfaction is related to the fact that the number of nominees sometimes includes players who clearly do not deserve it.
Tighten and try to remember these names: Frederic Canute, Milon Baroche, Papa Buba Diop, Hatem Trabelsi. These names are not widely known to anyone, since the players did not reach the top level, but still were nominated for the ZM.
9. The impact of ZM on wages
Previously, when the grass was greener and in football it was not so much tied to money, the award only emphasized the level of skill of the football player, but now it is a guaranteed way to review wages.
So, in the contract of Kilian Mbappe there is even a special clause that if he receives the Golden Ball (which he has every chance in the coming years), he will automatically become the highest paid player.
8. Recognition of women
Despite the fact that women's football as a professional sport began to take shape back in the 70s, there was no “Golden Ball” for them until last year.
Only in 2018 new rules were introduced and, along with Luke Modric, Ada Högerberg, the footballer of the French Lyon and the Norwegian women's team, received her prize.
The host of the ceremony invited the winner to a dance right on the stage and asked a rather strange question - does she know how to dance twerk.
Because of this, a flurry of criticism fell upon him from the public and even male athletes, so he later had to apologize, although Ada herself was not offended. As soon as women appeared, a sex scandal was already ready, which, in fact, became the first in the history of ZM.
7. "Our" winners
Only 3 players from the USSR received their ball: Lev Yashin in 1963, Oleg Blokhin in 1975 and Igor Belanov in 1986.
Yashin, by the way, is still the only goalkeeper in history who has become the best.
After the collapse of the Union, only Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko, who then shone in Milan, was able to win, and of the Russians Andrei Arshavin, who took 6th place in the vote in 2008, can be noted. It is noteworthy that at that time he was a player in St. Petersburg “Zenith”.
6. Globalization
Until 1995, journalists could only vote for players from Europe, which many were extremely unhappy about. Because of this rule, many legends like Pele or Maradona were left without trophies.
After changing the voting procedure, the first non-European player was John Weah of Liberia.
5. Special rewards
The previously mentioned Maradona and Pele received their portion of recognition from France Football, but only after completing a career.
The Argentinean was awarded the special Golden Ball in 1996, and in 2014 the Brazilian was awarded the same award, with tears flowing from an overabundance of emotions.
In 1999, France Football already celebrated Pele, calling him the best player of the 20th century. Then, not the journalists voted for the winner, but 34 previous winners of the award (all except Lev Yashin, who was not alive).
Ten years earlier, Alfredo Di Stefano, who is the legend of Real Madrid and played for him in the 50-60s, received the Super Golden Ball.
4. "Ours" at the ceremony
The first person from the USSR who received the right to vote for the winner was sports journalist Lev Filatov, and this happened in 1959 (3 years after the award was founded).
Later Filatov took over as editor-in-chief of the journal Football. Hockey ”, which for several decades remained the most popular sports publication.
3. Most awarded countries and clubs
Most of the awards were awarded to German football players - 7, of which 4 belong to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Franz Beckenbauer (they each have 2).
Next are the Netherlands and Portugal, who also have 7 each, but they were won by 3 players (Johan Cruyff and Cristiano Ronaldo individually raised their statistics strongly to their countries), while 5 players won the prize from the Germans.
As for the clubs, here is the undisputed leader of Barcelona with 11 awards, which received 6 players at different times. As many as 5, as you know, on the account of only Lionel Messi.
2. The "golden ball" is actually brass
The award is made not of noble metal, but of brass, covering it with a thin layer of gold.
However, production does not become cheap because of this: the cost of one trophy is about 13,000 euros.
This is perplexing for many, as the World Cup is made entirely of 18 carat gold, which makes it weigh as much as 5 kg.
1. Further fate of the award
What to do with the obtained ZM the football player has the right to decide for himself, and the majority leaves them as a keepsake, but some calmly part with him.
So, Ruud Gullit, who received it in 1987, later presented it to Nelson Mandela, whom he called his idol.
The Italian Omar Sivori in 1967 put the trophy in a bank cell, fearing that someone might steal it.
Sir Bobby Charlton later transferred his "ball" to the club museum, in which he is still stored.
His teammate George Best acted differently and sold it at auction after the end of his career. He spent the proceeds not on charity, as is fashionable, but on paying off debts, which he had a lot because of his rampant lifestyle.