Ballon d’Or ceremony returns to England in nod to ‘revolutionary’ Stanley Matthews

The Ballon d'Or ceremony returns to England for the first time in 70 years, taking place at the London Palladium on Monday. The original 1956 award was presented to Stanley Matthews at Blackpool Town Hall by L'Équipe editor Gabriel Hanot, with minimal fanfare — Matthews, then 41 and famously teetotal, received a china plate from the mayor alongside the prize. Matthews' son Stanley Jr and other family members will attend this year's ceremony, describing themselves as 'very excited' about the occasion.