The prestigious Ballon d'Or will not be awarded this year because the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the soccer season.
Awarded by France Football magazine, the Ballon d'Or has been given out every year since Stanley Matthews won the first one in 1956. Lionel Messi has won it a record six times -- one more than longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo."It's such a strange year that we couldn't treat it as an ordinary one. Let's say that we started talking about at least two months ago," France Football editor Pascal Ferre told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
"The Ballon d'Or would have been decided over just three games: quarterfinal, semifinal, final," Ferre said. "There were loads of changes which are totally legitimate and which we don't contest given the worldwide health crisis, but we couldn't consider this as a typical year. Exceptional circumstances led to an exceptional decision."
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski reached 50 club goals for the first time and can win a treble. Kylian Mbappe and Neymar can clinch quadruples for Paris Saint-Germain. "We are independent and autonomous enough not to have to raise our little finger and ask what they think," Ferre said. "We will take their frustration as a sign of their attachment to the award."
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