France Football splits with FIFA over Ballon d'Or

The winner of the Ballon d'Or will no longer be FIFA's World Player of the Year.

France Football announced Friday that it's splitting with FIFA over the coveted award.

For the past six years, the FIFA Ballon d'Or has been a combination of both honours. Voters included journalists from each country, along with national team captains and coaches.

France Football founded the iconic trophy in 1956 - the first of which was handed to Stanley Matthews - before merging with FIFA's World Player of the Year award in 2010.

In its first incarnation, the Ballon d'Or was selected exclusively by European journalists for European players. Moving forward, only members of the press will decide the award's winner.

The criteria for the 2016 Ballon d'Or remains the same, with the likes of Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Gareth Bale remaining in the running.

The ceremony, however, will no longer be a FIFA event.

The last player to win the pre-merger Ballon d'Or was Messi in 2009. Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff, and Marco van Basten each won three.

Messi holds the combined record with five wins.