The Ballon d’Or (French pronunciation: â[balÉÌ dÉÊ], “Golden Ball”) and often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award, was an annual association football award. It was presented to the player who had been voted to have performed the best over the previous season. The award was conceived by France Football’s chief magazine writer Gabriel Hanot, who asked his colleagues to vote for the player of the year in Europe in 1956. The inaugural winner was Stanley Matthews of Blackpool.
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