The Ballon d’Or has a narrow definition of footballing greatness

What the report says

Al Jazeera’s Osasu Obayiuwana argues that the Ballon d’Or, football’s top individual prize, has a narrow and increasingly commercialized idea of greatness. The piece was published on 27 October 2026, one day after Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane became the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001 at a ceremony in London. Obayiuwana uses Kane’s win to revisit broader concerns about how the prize is judged in a team sport.

The article says the award has long tilted toward attacking players and away from goalkeepers and defenders, even though those roles can be just as decisive. It notes that Lev Yashin remains the only goalkeeper to have won, while Fabio Cannavaro was the last defender to take the prize in 2006. The author also points to the award’s long European bias, including its original restriction to European players and later expansion to non-European footballers.

A second major criticism is that the Ballon d’Or still does not adequately recognize elite players outside Europe’s leading competitions. The piece highlights George Weah, the only African winner, and recalls how Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o was widely viewed as deserving the honor during his career. While the award now uses an international panel of journalists, the article argues that voting and nominee selection still reflect a limited view of global football.

Overall, the commentary calls on France Football, which organizes the award, to give greater weight to all positions and to football talent across continents, rather than to celebrity, marketability and Europe-centered prestige.