Hayes: Ballon d'Or award timing not fair to women

United States women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes has criticized the Ballon d’Or ceremony being held during a women’s FIFA window.

Hayes picked up the inaugural Ballon d’Or for best women’s coach on Monday but, along with most players and coaches from the women’s game, she was not in Paris to receive the award alongside the rest of the soccer world.

“I mean, it’d be like running an Oscars or a Golden Globes, without having any females present,” Hayes said on Tuesday from Louisville, Kentucky, where she is with the USWNT for the last of three games in a week. “It just wouldn’t happen. And I think that all too often it’s an afterthought, to be honest with you.”

Hayes said she is honored to win the award and she is happy to be with her team right now in Louisville, where the USWNT takes on Argentina on Wednesday.

“But I think for those players and coaches, it is the one industry moment they get recognized, and it’s disappointing. I did speak to the organizers about it, and they said that that is something that will be changing in the future. Let’s hope that is the case.”

This year marked the first time that the Ballon d’Or ceremony included coaching awards. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti won the men’s coaching award.

The Ballon d’Or has been awarded to the best men’s player in the world since 1956. A women’s award was added in 2018 and was immediately surrounded by sexist controversy when the host of the ceremony asked the recipient, Lyon and Norway forward Ada Hegerberg, if she could twerk.

Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí won the 2024 women’s Ballon d’Or player honor for the second consecutive year.

Five U.S. women’s national team players were named to the 30-player shortlist for the 2024 Women’s Ballon d’Or. Forward Sophia Smith finished fourth in the voting, while midfielder Lindsey Horan was fifth, forward Mallory Swanson finished sixth and forward Trinity Rodman was ninth. U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher finished 17th in the final voting.

Hayes said the Ballon d’Or honor is a credit to the quality of her players both at Chelsea, where she coached until May, and the USWNT, which she guided to an Olympic gold medal in August in just her 10th game in charge. She won a fifth straight Women’s Super League title about a week before flying to New York to start her USWNT role.

“We are only as good as our players,” Hayes said. “And I’ve been fortunate enough to coach some wonderful players, both at Chelsea and here with the national team, that allows the team to be able to compete at the level that they do. And for that, I’m really, really thankful.”

Hayes also won the FIFA Best Coach Award in 2021 while at Chelsea.

She said on Tuesday that individual honors are the “least interesting” thing to her because soccer is a team game. She named Washington Spirit and former Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez, and Brazil coach Arthur Elias, as equally worthy of the top coaching honor this year.

The USWNT defeated Brazil in the Olympic gold-medal game. Giráldez guided Barcelona to the past two Champions League titles, defeating Chelsea in the two-leg semifinals both years.

Hayes also said women’s soccer needs to be more accessible to more people. She offered a tongue-in-cheek nod to the Ballon d’Or’s omission of USWNT center-back Naomi Girma from the 30-player shortlist. Hayes called Girma “the best defender I’ve ever seen” during the team’s Olympic run.

“Yes, we could sit here all day and say Naomi Girma should be there — which she should –so for that reason, we’re still not getting all of those things right in the women’s game. But recognizing the talent of our players on the world stage is something that I know our players are extremely proud of, so really good all round for us.”