FIFA have announced that football fans worldwide will be able to vote for the best player on the planet in a revamped award.
The decision comes after France Football magazine decided to end the Ballon d’Or’s six-year association with Fifa and award the world’s top individual football gong independently.
Fifa used to give out the World Player of the Year award before it was merged with the Ballon d’Or in 2010.
But rather than bringing back the old award, world football’s governing body have announced a new individual prize, simply called ‘The Best’.
And for the first time ever, supporters will have a say on who football’s top player should be.
A new voting system will see 50 per cent of the vote based on the choices of captain’s and managers from all the world’s national teams.
The other 50 per cent will be chosen by a selected group of 200 world media representatives and an online public ballot.
Fifa hope this will new system will give their award more credibility than the Ballon d'Or, which will be decided purely by journalists.
Fifa President Gianni Infantino, said: "This event will be about football and its most passionate participants – players, coaches and fans.
"It is a new event with new approaches to celebrating the game we all love."
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France Football magazine's decision to break away from football's governing body means that Lionel Messi is likely to be the last ever winner of the Fifa Ballon d'Or, but he will face stiff competition from Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Antoine Griezmann for both the Ballon d'Or and the revamped Fifa prize.
The first ever 'Best Fifa Football Awards' will take place in January 2017.
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