Culturally, the Ballon d'Or acts as a soft-power instrument dominated by European institutions. Despite opening to global players in 2007, the award remains heavily centered on European clubs and media narratives. This Eurocentric bias reflects broader economic inequities in global sports, where wealth concentration in European leagues dictates who is deemed 'world-class.' The award thus institutionalizes a hierarchy, validating European football as the sport's ultimate and definitive arena.