Ballon d'Or canceled for first time in award's history due to coronavirus pandemic

For players like Robert Lewandowski, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the news that came out on Monday regarding one of soccer's top awards surely will be disappointing. 

According to ESPN, the Ballon d'Or has been canceled for the first time in the award's history due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the soccer calendar. 

Group L'Equipe, the organizers of the award, announced that the conditions for the prize to be awarded had not taken place due to the pandemic.

"The equity that prevails for this honorary title will not be warranted, especially when it comes to accounting and preparation: all the award seekers will not be in the same boat, some having seen their season cut short," editor-in-chief of France Football Pascal Ferre said in a statement. "Therefore, how can we establish a fair comparison? To avoid overly convoluted calculations and projections, we chose the least bad of the options."

While they won't be awarding the individual trophies, the organization said they'll be announcing a "Dream Team" at the end of the year. 11 players will be selected by the Ballon DdOr jury, according to ESPN. 

The Ballon d'Or was created in 1956 and is the most prestigious award in all of football. In 2018, the Ballon d'Or Feminin was created to reward the best player in the women's game. Messi won the award in 2019 while USWNT star Megan Rapinoe won the women's award.