Ballon d'Or creates the 'Socrates Award' for social projects

The award will recognize initiatives in favor of social inclusion, environmental development or aid to populations in precarious situations or victims of conflicts, such as the mobilization in 2020 led by English striker Marcus Rashford in favor of disadvantaged British families.

“The Sócrates Award will allow us to identify the best solidarity actions carried out by champions withprometaken”, states a statement from France Football magazine, which awards the Ballon d’Or.

Sócrates' name was chosen by France Football due to the Brazilian star's commitment to “Corinthian democracy”. During the military dictatorship in Brazil, in the 1980s, Corinthians decided to submit all the club's decisions to a vote of players and employees.

The new award will be defined by a jury that will have the participation of Raí, PSG idol and world champion with the Brazilian team in 1994, Sócrates' younger brother, and by the directors of the Peace and Sport organization, which brings together development and pacification projects. through sport.

“Socrates always believed in the power of mobilization and transformation through sport, to make society more egalitarian. He demonstrated this as a player with his fight for the redemocratization of Brazil during the revolutionary experience of Corinthians democracy”, stated Raí, quoted in the statement.

“Eleven years after his death, he remains the symbol of the champion withpromewith a fairer world”, he added

The new trophy completes the Ballon d'Or ceremony, which will take place on October 17 at the Chatelet Theater in Paris. In addition to the Kopa Trophy for the best young player, the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper and the Gerd Müller Trophy for the season's top scorer, the Socrates Prize and the Golden Balls for the best player and best player of the 2021 season will also be awarded - 2022.

(AFP)