Tonight! The stars of the football world will be rewarded at a glittering ceremony in Milan for The Best Fifa Football Awards. The ‘Best‘ awards are presented to celebrate the best players in world football. However, it is not the only trophy distributed by individual performances. There is also the Golden Ball, but what makes them different?
Although from 2010-2015 ‘The Best’ and the Golden Ball were the same trophies, the truth is that for four seasons the awards have been split to show the importance of them both.
The huge difference between ‘The Best‘ and the Golden Ball lies in who offers the trophy. In the first, it is FIFA that designates the winner, while the second is awarded by ‘France Football’.
Also, ‘The Best’ has two stages of voting. In the first, there is a panel of football experts, who choose the ten nominees per prize. In the second, journalists, fans, captains and coaches can also participate.
In regards to the Golden Ball, ‘France Football‘ itself designates the 30 nominees. Subsequently, a journalist from each country chooses their five players, in order, to award them points.
There are also differences in regards to what worth the trophies have. In ‘The Best’, FIFA states that the awards “are given according to performance and general behavior on and off the pitch”, whilst the Golden Ball is all about individual and collective performances, talent, ‘fair play’ and the footballer’s career.
However, the main difference between the two lies in the time the actions are chosen to determine the winner. FIFA awards are based on the last season, while ‘France Football’ does so with respect to the last year.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk pipped Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the Uefa player of the year award last month and could do so again when Fifa announces its 2019 winners at the Teatro Alla Scala.
Champions League winner Van Dijk was nominated on a three-man shortlist earlier this month alongside Messi and Ronaldo for The Best Fifa Men’s Player Award.
The ceremony begins at 7:30 pm BST in Milan and will be shown live on TV and online via Sky Sports.
