London, Oct 29 (IANS): Arsenal chief coach Arsene Wenger has criticised the Ballon d'Or, the award that annually distinguishes the best footballer in the world, and said that several times in the past the decision on the winner has not been "objective".

The veteran French coach on Friday stressed that soccer "is a collective sport" and said the award "gets in the head of players", reports Efe.

"We have seen many people only thinking about themselves because they are obsessed by the Ballon d'Or and not by the team performance," the former Monaco coach said.

Wenger congratulated players who won the award, but said that looking at recent history shows the decisions on the winner have not been objective.

"I am against it because I think it gets in the head of players. I believe football is a collective sport and we live already in a world where everything is individualised," Wenger, who has been coaching Arsenal since 1996, said.

For the third consecutive year, no Arsenal player was listed among the 30 candidates for the Ballon d'Or award, which will be awarded in January in Paris.