Paris Saint-Germain star, Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or award in 2021 and it was the seventh Ballon d’Or award of his career. This decision made the organizers come under intense criticism with many feeling that the Argentine superstar doesn’t deserve to win the award. However, it cannot be denied that Ballon d’Or remains the most prestigious award in football.
The 2022 Ballon d’Or award ceremony will be different from others we have known. This is due to some changes which have been made to the award. The most important change is the fact that the award will now be awarded based on performance in a season rather than a calendar year. Therefore, the winner of this year’s Ballon d’Or award will be decided based on performance from the 2021/22 season alone. This also means that performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which would be commencing in November, would not be used to judge this year’s winner of the award. The award ceremony would be held in October 2022.
Ahead of the award ceremony which would be taking place in four months, we would be taking a look at the three favorite players to win the award taking into consideration the fact that this season’s Champions League would be a huge determining factor.
3. Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane has been one of Liverpool’s most important players this season and he has been highly influential in the last two months.
He has been a focal point in Liverpool’s attack alongside Luis Diaz since Mohamed Salah’s form diminished after the African Nations Cup. This season, the Senegalese attacker has played 57 games in all competitions and he has scored 25 goals and provided 6 assists.
If Liverpool wins the Champions League later this month and Sadio Mane plays an influential role in the triumph, he would stand a very good chance of winning the 2022 Ballon d’Or but right now, he is the third favourite for the award.
2. Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah was the best player in the English Premier League in the first half of the season but his form has diminished since he returned from the African Nations Cup. The Egyptian attacker has scored 32 goals and provided 17 assists in 57 games.
He is the current highest goalscorer in the English Premier League and if Liverpool wins the Champions League, he stands a good chance of winning the Ballon d’Or award as Liverpool has won the Carabao Cup this season and is also in the final of the FA Cup.
1. Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema is the outright favourite for the Ballon d’Or award this year. The Frenchman has won the Spanish La Liga with Real Madrid and he helped Real Madrid get to the final of the Champions League.
He is the highest goalscorer in the Spanish La Liga and the Champions League. He also scored back-to-back Champions League hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in the knockout stage.
Karim Benzema has scored 48 goals and provided 15 assists in 50 games this season and if Real Madrid wins the Champions League, he would most likely win the Ballon d’Or award.
Who do you think would win the 2022 Ballon d’Or award? Share across all social media platforms and follow for more informative articles and updates.