the 5 criteria for awarding the trophy

The 2024 African Ballon d'Or will be awarded on December 16. To award the trophy, several elements are taken into account by voters to make their choice. Here are the 6 criteria that are taken into account for the 2024 African Ballon d'Or.

Who will succeed Victor Osimhen? The Nigerian striker was crowned African Player of the Year after an exceptional year in 2023. The current Galatasaray striker was not named this year. Author of a hat-trick which allowed Atalanta Bergamo to win the Europa League and finalist of the CAN 2024, Ademola Lookman is one of the big favorites to win the 2024 African Golden Ball.

In order to win the title of best African player of the year, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has put in place six criteria to achieve the ranking. These criteria take into account both individual and collective performances.

THE 5 CRITERIA FOR AWARDING THE AFRICAN BALLON D’OR

The criteria for awarding the African Ballon d'Or are significantly similar to those of the Ballon d'Or. The jury is made up of a group of journalists, selectors and captains of the national teams. Each member of the jury must establish a list of five players. The first player wins 5 points, the second 4 points, the third 3 points, the fourth 2 points and the fifth 1 point. The African Golden Ball is therefore awarded to the players who have collected the most points.

Votes for the African Golden Ball have been closed since November 10. CAF has therefore already revealed the names of the 5 finalists who can claim the title of African Player of the Year 2024. Simon Adingra (Brighton/Ivory Coast), Serhou Guirassy (Stuttgart/Dortmund/Guinea), Achraf Hakimi (PSG / Morocco), Ademola Lookman (Atalanta/ Nigeria) and Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns/ South Africa) are the 5 players still lice.

Individual performances

The African Golden Ball being an individual reward, the first criterion concerns the individual performances of the player. The jury takes into account the goals scored, the assists, the influence of the player in the game of his team. Regularity is also taken into account. The player must have shone throughout the year to be eligible for the trophy.

The player's impact with his national team

The second criterion joins the criterion of individual performances. The player must have been present with his national team in major events. For the year 2024, the African Ballon d'Or jury will particularly look at the performances of the finalists during the last edition of the African Cup of Nations.

Collective performances

The African Ballon d'Or jury will also look closely at the trophies won by the player with his club and his national team. In 2023, Victor Osimhen notably won Serie A with Napoli. This year, the panel of voters will particularly look at the progress of the national selections of the finalists during the last CAN.

Regularity

This criterion is the sum of the first three criteria. The player must have been consistent throughout the season to claim the 2024 African Ballon d'Or. He must have been present throughout the season and have played the majority of matches with his club and his selection.

Le fair-play

The last criterion takes into account fair play. The behavior of the finalists on and off the field will be analyzed by the jury. This criterion also takes into account the causes and values ​​defended by the players.