Ballon d'Or 1956

The first award of the Ballon d'Or (French for Golden Ball ) of the magazine France Football took place in 1956. Winner and therefore the first European Footballer of the Year was the English right winger Stanley Matthews.

Jury and voting procedures

The idea for this competition was the editorial director of France Football, Jacques Ferran, who then also took over the organization. He was convinced that only regular observer of European football - which was also facilitated by the introduction of a European Champion Clubs' Cup competition in the 1955/56 season - are suitable as jurors, and asked a jury of 16 sports journalists from as many countries. Also, Austria, Switzerland and Germany were represented ( Ferdinand Wimmer of New Austria, Frederic Schlatter of La Gazette de Lausanne, Fritz Weilenmann from the kicker ), as well as three journalists from Eastern Europe (Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary); France voted for Gabriel Hanot of L' Équipe. Each judge awarded to five players of his choice - a selection list had not given France Football - five, four, three, two and one point. The votes were submitted by letter or by telephone to the editor in Paris.

Result

In its issue of December 18, 1956 France Football published the result:

Also, consideration was given to Stefan Boskow ( CSKA Sofia), Duncan Edwards (Manchester United), Gerhard Hanappi (Rapid Vienna ), Robert Jonquet ( Stade Reims ), Miguel Montuori (Fiorentina ), Pepillo (Sevilla FC ), Juan Schiaffino (AC Milan) and Eduard Strelzow (Torpedo Moscow ) with two points, and, with one point Campanal (FC Sevilla), Břetislavova Dolejší ( Dukla Prague), Roger Piantoni ( Stade Reims ) and Kees Rijvers (AS Saint- Étienne ).

In retrospect, Jacques Ferran rated the award of Matthews as one that " less be -ago years as a player, but rather the overall career of the now almost 42 -year-olds " consider. To transfer the created by a Parisian jeweler trophy Gabriel Hanot traveled with a photographer to Blackpool, where he presented the winner in his apartment. Already this first award was also marketed media, but the time corresponding to a comparatively modest. So told France Football in its Christmas issue in 1956 to just three pages about the pointed even a small box on the front page. RTF showed before departure Hanots the cup and brief newsreel excerpts of the first footballer of the year, and also the BBC invited Matthews early 1957 in their studio to Manchester one.