<P> The FIFA Ballon d'Or (French pronunciation: ​ (balɔ̃ dɔʁ), "Golden Ball") was an annual association football award presented to the world's best men's player from 2010 to 2015 . Awarded jointly by FIFA and France Football, the prize was a merger of the FIFA World Player of the Year award and the Ballon d'Or, the two most prestigious individual honours in world football . The FIFA Ballon d'Or was awarded based on votes from international journalists and national team coaches and captains, who selected the players they deemed to have performed the best in the previous calendar year . </P> <P> The six editions of the FIFA Ballon d'Or were dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as part of their ongoing rivalry . </P>

How is the winner of the ballon d'or decided