The magazine France Football will award the Ballon d'Or to Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo next Thursday, December 7, at the Eiffel Tower. The ceremony will take place at 7:45 p.m. local time and will be hosted by former French footballer David Ginola, with coverage provided by L'Équipe TV.
FIFA and France Football have revisited their historic differences from the past after reconvening in 2010. This relationship evolved in 2015 when the FIFA Ballon d'Or was awarded consecutively. Now, the French want to respond to the glamorous gala held by FIFA last month, which concluded with Cristiano Ronaldo taking home the The Best award.
The gala was scheduled for a day after the Champions League group stage match between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. Initially, it was planned to present the award closer to Christmas, but Real Madrid's commitment to the Club World Cup forced the French organization to set the gala for December 7.
In the most undeniable sports rivalry of the last ten years, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are tied in Best Player of the Year awards, each with five. Real Madrid will accompany the Portuguese player to Paris, led by their president Florentino Pérez, along with coach Zinedine Zidane and Emilio Butragueño. The club hopes that Ronaldo will be able to showcase the award to his fans at the Bernabéu during the match against Sevilla.
Filed under: