The organizing panel of The Ballon d’Or have revealed on Wednesday( 21 September, 2022) that a new award of honour is set to be introduced in the near future to award individuals who have taken the global platform provided by the sport to tackle and address prevailing  social and humanitarian issues. 

The award is named after late Brazilian mid fielding icon Socrates, remembered for his elegant mid fielding skills over the years and for his participation in a significant campaign that he organized at his club in Brazil, Corinthians, while Brazil was under the rule of a dictatorship, The Corinthian Democracy.

Socrates who died in 2011 aged 57, along with others did not cave into pressure and used his position and social standing to make an impact on the people. This commitment in the face of danger was the key factor that made France Football to honour Socrates by naming the reward after him. The prize distribution, recipient nominations and awarding will all be done by a new panel including former Brazil and Saint Paris midfielder Rai, who also happens to be Socrates’ younger brother. Other panel members include France Football representatives and leaders of Monaco’s Peace and Sports Organization.

In a public statement Rai commented, ” Socrates always believed in the power of the sport to transform society, to make it more equal. He demonstrated this through his career as a player through his fight for the democratization of Brazil…..”

The Ballon d’Or is scheduled to be held on 17 October 2022 in Paris, France.