The Ballon d'Or Is Set To Undergo Some Changes

The Ballon d'Or is set to undergo some huge changes, following Lionel Messi's seven time winning the award, and will be handed out earlier this year.

That is likely to be Messi's final time winning the award, and not just because his form in Paris has completely fallen off, with France Football confirming changes.

First and foremost, the award will now be handed out in October and will only take into account the previous European season, rather than a full calendar year.

That means that this year's award won't be delayed to include the winter World Cup, and performances in the tournament will go towards the 2023 award instead.

However, they aren't the only ones who will have a say in the winners, with Didier Drogba, Vietnamese journalist Truong Anh Ngoc and Czech juror Karolina Hlavackova compiling the list of nominees.

Individual performances will remain the top of the criteria for the winner and will also include team performance, the "class" of a player and their fair play record.

However, in the past a player's past record has been considered, which to many explains some of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's victories, but that will no longer be considered any more.

Fans will be hoping that all the changes lead to the correct winners in upcoming years, to keep up the prestige of the award from dropping.

Who do you think will win this year's Ballon d'Or with the new changes?