Ballon d'Or 2022: Rankings from 1-5 revealed as Karim Benzema wins prized accolade

France Football have announced their top five ranked players for the 2022 Ballon d'Or today in Paris as Karim Benzema lifted the prestigious individual accolade.

Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah has been ranked fifth in the rankings after nearly guiding the Reds to a quadruple last season. Salah eventually went on to win two trophies last season, the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, and also reached the UEFA Champions League final.

Current Barcelona and former Bayern Munich ace Robert Lewandowski has finished fourth in the rankings. The Polish centre-forward scored 50 goals from just 46 appearances last season as Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga and DFL Supercup.

Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne has been ranked third in the rankings. The Belgium international was instrumental in guiding Pep Guardiola's side to the Premier League title last season. De Bruyne contributed 15 goals and eight assists in the league last time around.

Salah's former Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane has been placed second in the rankings. Mane was the Reds' second-highest goalscorer last season (23 goals). He also guided the Senegal national team to the Africa Cup of Nations triumph earlier this year. Mane has since joined Bayern Munich after spending six seasons at Anfield.

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Karim Benzema wins the 2022 Ballon d'Or

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has won his first Ballon d'Or award in Paris on Monday (October 17). The Frenchman became the first Los Blancos player since Luka Modric (2018) to lift the prestigious "Golden Ball."

Benzema had a stellar season for Real Madrid last season as they won the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. The forward scored 44 goals and provided 15 assists from 46 outings across all competitions.