The differences between Ballon d'Or and The Best FIFA award

The Ballon d'Or and FIFA's The Best award are separate honours with different voting systems and histories rooted in a power struggle between UEFA and FIFA.

Monday evening's Ballon d'Or ceremony will crown a world footballer of the year, but it is not the same as FIFA's The Best award. The two prizes have distinct voting systems, criteria and histories. The split stems partly from a long-running power struggle between UEFA and FIFA over control of football's major honours and narratives. Understanding the differences between them requires looking at how each award evolved and who votes in each competition.