France Football hails Flamengo’s historic year in Ballon d’Or race

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Coluna do Fla

·10 September 2026

France Football hails Flamengo’s historic year in Ballon d’Or race

The official award website published a special article about the historic season of the Rio club

Flamengo is in the running for the award for best team of the 2025/26 season, from the Ballon d’Or. As a result, the France Football staff published an article recognizing the Rubro-Negro’s “year that went down in history.” The award ceremony will take place in London on October 26.

What does the Ballon d’Or article say about Flamengo?

“Flamengo, champions and stars of the show: the year that went down in history,” says the title of the article published on the official Ballon d’Or website. Mengão is the only South American representative on the list of five finalists.

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“The period evaluated by the ‘Ballon d’Or’ (World Football Awards), therefore, includes a series of results that placed Flamengo at the top of Brazilian and South American football: Libertadores champions, Brazilian champions, and three-time Rio state champions, in addition to a campaign that took the club to the Intercontinental Cup final,” said one excerpt of the article.

“The achievement had even greater significance because it was only the fifth time that a club won the Brazilian Championship and the Copa Libertadores in the same year,” another excerpt added. The Best Club of the Year award has existed at the Ballon d’Or since 2021.

Which other Brazilian clubs match Flamengo’s feat?

Besides the 2025 Rubro-Negro squad, Flamengo itself also managed the national and continental double in 2019. Likewise, Botafogo in 2024, as well as Santos in 1962 and 1963, also won the Brasileirão and the Libertadores in the same year.

How was Flamengo nominated for the best team of the season award?

The Most Beloved appears alongside Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), Arsenal (ENG), Bayern Munich (GER), and Bodø/Glimt (NOR). However, the period considered for the award runs from August 1, 2025 to July 31, 2026. So, during that span, the Most Beloved won the 2025 Copa Libertadores and the Brazilian Championship.

In addition to the domestic and continental titles, the rubro-negro campaign also stood out on the international stage. That is because, at the Club World Cup, played in Qatar, Filipe Luís’ side drew 1-1 with PSG, who then won on penalties.

What are the Ballon d’Or’s criteria for evaluating teams?

The award takes different aspects of the season into account, not just the number of titles won. Even so, sporting performance, memorable moments, campaigns above expectations, and fair play are also part of the evaluation criteria.

What is the author’s opinion about the article?

“France Football absolutely got it right in highlighting Filipe Luís’ contribution to Flamengo’s nomination. In fact, the French magazine also made it clear that the Brazilian’s work at Monaco impresses the country a lot,” said João Vítor Reis of Coluna do Fla, who added: “Being realistic, though, I think it will be difficult to take this award out of PSG’s hands. It’s not a conspiracy theory, but Europeans are favored in these awards. Just look at what they did to Vini Jr. in 2024, when he lost The Best in the World award to Rodri, who was not even the best player on his own team,” he opined.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.