Back in 1956, Gabriel Hanot – the chief football writer for the magazine France Football – asked colleagues from across Europe to vote for their player of the year.
By the time the numbers had been counted up, Blackpool’s Stanley Matthews had narrowly beaten Real Madrid’s Alfredo Di Stefano by three votes.
Fast forward 70 years and that award, the Ballon d’Or, is still celebrated year on year, voted for by journalists from around the world.
But with the Coronavirus pandemic raging on, the 2020 iteration of the Ballon d’Or has been cancelled.
Without the glitz and glamour of the awards ceremony to dazzle us, in this episode, we ask: do we still need the Ballon d’Or in 2020?
Guest:
Sam Tighe (@stighefootball) is a football journalist who can be found on Bleacher Report and the Ranks FC podcast.
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Cicle Gerano by Cicle Kadde
Careless Morning by Glacier Quartet
The Green Room by Warmbody
Izeah by Moon Juice
Hickory Shed by Onesuch Village
Veins of Silver by Marble Run
Peacetime by TinyTiny Trio
