2020 Ballon d’Or awards canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic
The Ballon d'Or trophy is displayed during a press conference on the outskirts of Paris, September 19, 2019. (AFP Photo)


One of the most prestigious awards for football player of the year, the Ballon d'Or, will not be given out in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"There won't be a Ballon d'Or France Football in 2020," awards organizer France Football magazine said in a statement on Monday.

France Football said the award will skip a year due to the uneven conditions of 2020 caused by the virus.

Starting in 1956, France Football has awarded its Ballon d'Or trophy annually to the world's best male football player.

A separate women's award, Ballon d'Or Feminin, was added in 2018.

Last December, Barcelona's Argentine superstar Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or award for the sixth time.

U.S. midfielder Megan Rapinoe, captain of the U.S. National Soccer Team, won the women's award.

The Ballon d'Or was organized by FIFA and France Football until 2015. After they split, FIFA has handed out its own awards since 2016.