The “Socrates Prize” will be presented at the 2022 Ballon d’Or ceremony, which is scheduled to take place on October 17, in honor of this figure in Brazilian football, the organizers announced on Wednesday. The “Socrates Prize” will be a new award that is reserved for footballers involved in societal and charitable projects.
“The Socrates Prize will identify the greatest solidarity deeds carried out by committed champions,” Can we read in a news release from the magazine France Football, which awards the Ballon d’Or? “The Socrates Prize will identify the best solidarity actions carried out by committed champions.”
Initiatives in support of social integration, environmental development, or assistance to populations in great precariousness or victims of conflict will therefore be rewarded, similar to how the mobilization of the English attacker Marcus Rashford in favor of underprivileged families in the United Kingdom in the year 2020.
France Football chose the name Socrates because of the commitment of this Brazilian international midfielder to the famous and romantic “Corinthian democracy.” Amid the military dictatorship in Brazil in the 1980s, the Corinthians team had made the bold choice of submitting all of the club’s decisions to a vote. Socrates was a genius footballer who passed away in 2011. France Football chose the name Socrates because of this commitment. Socrates died in 2011.
This new prize will be given out by a jury consisting of individuals such as the former figure of Brazil and Paris SG Ra, the younger brother of Socrates, representatives of France Football, and leaders of the organization Peace and Sport, which has its headquarters in Monaco and manages development and pacification projects through the medium of sport.
“Socrates has never wavered in his conviction that the transforming and mobilizing potential of athletics may help bring about greater social equality. As a player, he displayed it by fighting for the re-democratization of Brazil during the revolutionary experience of Corinthian democracy. The statement was made by Ra, who was quoted in the press release. Even after eleven years have passed since his passing, he continues to be remembered as the embodiment of the champion who fought for a more equitable world.
The winners of the Ballon d’Or gala, which will take place on October 17 at the Chatelet theatre in Paris and will award a total of seven trophies thanks to the addition of this new annex prize, are now complete.
In addition to the Kopa Trophy, which is awarded to the best young player, the Machine Trophy, which is awarded to the best goalkeeper, the Gerd Müller Trophy, which is awarded to the best scorer, the prize for the club of the year, the Socrates Prize, and most importantly, the Ballons d’Or, which are awarded to the best player and the best player of the 2021-2022 season.
In 2021, the titles of the queen had been awarded to Alexia Putellas of Spain and Lionel Messi of Argentina. Both of these individuals were from Argentina.