The Ballon d’Or organisers, France Football, have announced that the most prestigious award in football will not be handed out this year, due to season disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

This will be the first time the prize will not be awarded since its inception in 1956. The publication has said that it’s certain that all conditions required for the prize have not been met due to the COVID-19 caused suspension of football and fair comparison couldn’t be established.

Publication editor, Pascal Ferre, said: “For the first time since 1956, the Ballon d’Or will take a break. There will be no edition in 2020, because it turns out, after thoughtful consideration, that all the conditions are not met.”

He added: “Therefore, how can we establish a fair comparison? To avoid overly convoluted calculations and projections, we chose the least bad of the options. Protecting the credibility and legitimacy of such an award also means ensuring its flawlessness over time.”

Lionel Messi won a record-breaking sixth Ballon d’Or in 2019, along with Megan Rapinoe, who won her first women’s Ballon d’Or – and they will both hold the honours as winners until the next award ceremony.

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