FIFA and "France Football" partnership has been terminated, so the best football players for 2016 will be awarded twice. The influential French football magazine "France Football" will hold a special ceremony today to award the journalist-voted best footballer of the year. There are three candidates left - Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico), and Lionel Messi (Barcelona). Messi and Ronaldo are considered the clear favorites, but the French national team star has also received support from journalists. Cristiano Ronaldo won two major titles last season - the UEFA Champions League with Real and the European Championship gold with the Portuguese national team. He also did not lack goals for Portugal, so he is considered the main candidate to win the Ballon d'Or award. Lionel Messi's year was also excellent - winning two titles in Spain and scoring 58 goals in the calendar year so far. The Argentine trails Ronaldo by seven goals, but has played 10 games less. Meanwhile, Antoine Griezmann had a great year individually, but failed to win titles with either the national team or his club - losing in finals to Ronaldo's teams. Griezmann scored 6 goals and became the top scorer of this summer's European Championship. The "France Football" awards ceremony will start at 18:15 Lithuanian time, but the big reveal (the announcement of the best footballer of the year - ed. note) should happen around 21:00.
