The 2023 Ballon D’or has concluded, sparking yet another division among football fans regarding the winner in Paris.

While some argue that Lionel Messi deserves the title, others insist that Erling Haaland should have been awarded one of football’s top individual honors, given his remarkable season with Manchester City, which saw him score 56 goals, provide ten assists in 57 games, win three major trophies including the Champions League, the Premier League, and the Champions League Golden Boots, and secure five prestigious Player of the Year awards. However, despite these achievements, Haaland lost out to Lionel Messi, who claimed his eighth Ballon D’or.

It’s important to note that Messi played a crucial role in leading Argentina to World Cup victory almost single-handedly, and he also significantly contributed to PSG’s success in Ligue 1 last season.

The decision to award Messi the Ballon D’or remains controversial, reminiscent of the intense rivalry between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. FIFA must shoulder some blame for the controversies surrounding the award in recent decades.

In 2009, FIFA’s decision to merge its World Player of the Year prize with the Ballon d’Or from France Football birthed many of these disputes.

Before the partnership, the FIFA award was the biggest individual prise in football, while the Ballon d’Or is European footballer of the year award and these award are more straightforward, with clear criteria for players to follow.

Both the Ballon d’Or (awarded by France Football) and the FIFA award could be won under similar criteria. The Ballon d’Or is determined by journalists’ votes, while the FIFA award relies on votes from players and national team coaches.

In World Cup years, both awards typically went to a member of the World Cup-winning team, but in non-World Cup years, players from UEFA Champions League winners, UEFA European Championship, or South America’s CONMEBOL tournaments could win either award.

However, in 2010, Messi won the award despite Argentina’s poor World Cup performance, breaking with tradition. The 2013 edition was also controversial, with Cristiano Ronaldo winning the award ahead of Bayern Munich’s Frank Ribery, despite no major team trophies.

The 2013 vote was extended due to a lack of “eligible voters,” and FIFA’s decision was met with skepticism. In 2014, Ronaldo retained the award despite another disappointing World Cup with Portugal. Messi’s Golden Ball win was also a topic of debate that year.

These inconsistencies and controversies led to a reconsideration of the partnership with France Football Magazine, eventually resulting in a split.

This change allowed for different winners in the same year for the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award, like in 2004. That year, AC Milan’s Ukranian striker Andriy Shevchenko won the Ballon d’Or while Barcelona’s Ronaldinho claimed the FIFA prize),  except in the world world cup year. This is why Luka Modric won both prize in 2018 (World Cup final appearance, Golden Ball and Champions League trophy).

Despite this separation, the Ballon d’Or has evolved from being the European player of the year to a globally prestigious individual accolade, leaving the FIFA award struggling to maintain its significance.

It’s evident that FIFA and French Football Magazine are striving to return to the original tradition of awarding the prize to the best player during World Cup years, which is commendable.

However, to earn the people’s trust, they must maintain consistency and adhere to the established rules without deviation.