Ballon d’Or adds a special award at this year's 66th edition of the ceremony

• Sports

The "Prix Socrates" award for the social commitment of football players will be awarded for the first time at this year's 66th edition of the "Ballon d’Or" awarding ceremony of France Football magazine. It will be held on October 17 at the Paris Theater Chatelet.

The Socrates Award, named after the Brazilian football legend, doctor, philosopher, and dedicated citizen who died in 2011, was founded by the Monegasque non-governmental organization Peace&Sport, which advocates for peace through sport.

"The Socrates Prize will identify the best social initiative by committed champions," said a statement from France Football magazine, which awards the Ballon d'Or. Socrates always believed in the power of sport to mobilize and transform society to make it more equal," said Rai in a statement.

He demonstrated this as a player through his fight for the re-democratization of Brazil. Eleven years after his death, he remains the symbol of the champion committed to a more just world."

The trophy will be awarded on October 17 during the 66th Ballon d'Or ceremony.

This year, as many as seven awards will be presented at the ceremony.

In addition to the Socrates award, the Ballon d’Or will be awarded for the best male and female footballers, as well as the Kopa trophy for the best under-21 player, the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper, the Gerd Müller Trophy for a striker of the year, and the Club of the Year Award.

The Ballon d'Or is an annual football award given by the French magazine France Football in 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year, known as the FIFA Ballon d'Or.

Their collaboration ended in 2016. Since then, Frane Football has had its own (Ballon d'Or) award, and FIFA has its own (The Best FIFA Player) award. The first winner of the "Golden Ball" was the Englishman Stanley Matthews.