Before even getting to the shortlist for the Ballon d'Or Féminin, some major things are missing. Two awards, let alone individual nominees. That is because the organisers, France Football and Uefa, will be presenting prizes to the top men's goalkeeper of the year - the Yashin trophy - and the top young player of the year- the Kopa trophy - but neither of those categories has yet been created for the women's game since the Ballon d'Or expanded to recognise female footballers in 2018.
The lack of an award for under-21 female players is a crying shame because it is a missed opportunity to celebrate players such as the 20-year-old Barcelona and Spain forward Salma Paralluelo, the Colombia and Real Madrid winger Linda Caicedo and the United States and Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson. There will be plenty of deserved applause for Lamine Yamal, Kobbie Mainoo or Alejandro Garnacho, just none for their female counterparts.
For goalkeepers such as Spain's World Cup winner Cata Coll, who also won the Women's Champions League with Barcelona, or Mary Earps, who added an FA Cup to her World Cup Golden Glove, the organisers have made it clear they are not as worthy of recognition as Emiliano Martínez.
A spokesperson for the Ballon d'Or defended the awards and pointed to their addition of a women's coach of the year prize, saying: "We have been committed to honouring women's football since the inception of the Women's Ballon d'Or in 2018 and are proud of the progress made thus far."
Then there is the date of the awards, Monday 28 October, clashing as it does annually- with a women's international break. This guarantees some of the female nominees will not be able to attend the ceremony in Paris.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 13, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 13, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Beaumont may step in at RFU if Ilube quits over pay fiasco
Sir Bill Beaumont could be parachuted into the Rugby Football Union as interim chair in the event Tom Ilube falls on his sword amid the botched handling of the executive pay scandal engulfing the game.
'An exciting new era' Everton owners promise return to glory days after £500m deal
The Friedkin Group vowed to restore Everton to their \"rightful place in the Premier League table\" after completing a takeover that brought the turbulent era of Farhad Moshiri to an end.
Friedkin Group brings hope of much-needed stability and ambition
The Friedkin Group's takeover of Everton represents a momentous day for those exhausted and resigned to calamity by the tenure of Farhad Moshiri.
A humble Hamilton hero who was born to score
Ex-coaches in New Zealand on Chris Wood's rise from selfless schoolboy to poster boy at Nottingham Forest
Solanke puts Spurs through despite Forster's blunders
Like a song that changes time signature for the hell of it, like a friend that inexplicably blanks you, like a match report that noodles away for ages instead of just telling you what happened, Tottenham Hotspur remain medically incapable of doing things the simple way.
“The World Cup loss fuelled a fire in me to become the best’
Ellie Kildunne's infectious enthusiasm for the women's game has her dreaming of a Twickenham final in 2025
'Usyk is fighting for his country': Dubois tips Fury to lose rematch
Daniel Dubois, the IBF world heavyweight champion, believes that Oleksandr Usyk will again defeat Tyson Fury in Riyadh tomorrow night.
Coe pledges radical reform in bid for IOC presidency
Sebastian Coe has promised to radically transform the International Olympic Committee if he is elected its next president in March - and says his track record of delivering at the London 2012 Games and at World Athletics shows he is the right choice for the leading job in sport.
Football's new fetish Forget Nicolas Jover and stylish set-piece coaches, bring on the directors of vibes
It's 25 October 2012. Those of you who follow the Austrian regional leagues won't need reminding.
Rush to start work caused enormous cost overruns, says new boss of HS2
Enormous budget overruns on the HS2 high-speed railway have been blamed by its new chief executive on a \"rush to start\", as the Department for Transport admitted it did not know what the line would cost.
