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With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo enduring tough seasons, we're almost certain to have a new Ballon d'Or winner this year. The Argentine legend won the award for a record seventh-time in 2021.
The Ballon d'Or is presented by French news magazine France Football to the best performing footballer over the course of a year. It is without a doubt the most prestigious individual honor in the world of football.
The Ballon d'Or winner is decided on the basis of a combination of votes from media representatives, national team captains and coaches.
The 2022 Ballon d'Or race has been blown wide open
This year's Ballon d'Or race is likely to be the most exciting one in recent times, with so many high-profile players performing at a world-class level.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top 10 early favorites for the Ballon d'Or award this year.
#10 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Manchester United)
One thing that's already been settled is that Cristiano Ronaldo is unlikely to win any silverware in the 2021-22 season. Manchester United's awful form has seen them crash out of all cup competitions and suffer an early exit from the Premier League title race as well.
But Ronaldo has produced some magical moments for his side this term. But he has had some extremely underwhelming spells. He scored a sensational hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur in March. The 37-year-old produced a very good performance for Portugal in the World Cup Qualifiers Playoff semi-final against Turkey.
Could Ronaldo possibly win the Ballon d'Or this year? That's very unlikely, but he has still had a very respectable season so far.
#9 Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool)
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been Liverpool's creator-in-chief this season. His passing ability is at par with the best midfielders in the world today. At the age of 23, Alexander-Arnold is already a Premier League superstar.
The Merseysiders will be hoping that he will be back from his injury layoff right after the international break. They have a testing set of fixtures in the home straight of this year's Premier League campaign as they look to pip Manchester City to the league title.
In 35 appearances across all competitions for Liverpool in 2021-22, he has scored two goals and provided 17 assists. He could yet boost his credentials massively in the race for the Ballon d'Or if Liverpool make a clean sweep of club trophies this season.
#8 Thomas Muller (Germany/Bayern Munich)
The 'Raumdeuter' (space interpretor) keeps showing us why he is one of the most intelligent and technically blessed players on the planet. At Bayern Munich, Thomas Muller is the perfect foil for Robert Lewandowski.
The German international knows how to create space for his teammates and be a thorn in the neck of opposition defenders.
Muller had a rather quiet March and wasn't exactly at his unstoppable best. He still managed to bag a brace against RB Salzburg as Bayern beat them 7-1 in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie.
Muller has scored 12 goals and has provided a whopping 22 assists in 37 appearances across all competitions for the Bavarians so far this season.
#7 Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City)
Pep Guardiola has assembled a set of world-class footballers at Manchester City. The squad is packed to the brim with players who are incredibly good with the ball at their feet. Being a standout performer in such a team is quite simply an astounding achievement and Riyad Mahrez has managed to do just that.
The Algerian international has scored 22 goals and provided seven assists in 36 appearances across all competitions. He is also currently on course to earn some silverware as well, with City remaining well-placed in all of their remaining competitions.
#6 Vinicius Jr. (Brazil/Real Madrid)
It's been quite a topsy-turvy month for Real Madrid. Their epic comeback win against Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 was one for the ages. However, Los Blancos then conceded a 4-0 defeat to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in their last game before the international break.
But that doesn't take away from the fact that Vinicius Jr. has had a breakout season. He is arguably the most improved attacker in Europe's top five leagues.
With a haul of 17 goals and 14 assists in 39 appearances across all competitions for Real Madrid so far this term, he is very much a part of this year's race for the Ballon d'Or.
#5 Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City)
Manchester City's playmaker extraordinaire this season, Bernardo Silva, has been in a league of his own. He has had a wonderful season with City. While he is one of the best attacking midfielders of his generation with incredible vision and technical ability, it's Silva's relentlessness that defines his greatness.
There is a certain level of commitment and work rate that managers hope to draw from their players. In that regard, Silva is nothing short of a blessing to Pep Guardiola.
In 38 appearances across all competitions for the Cityzens this term, Silva has scored 10 goals and provided four assists. Not many midfielders have showcased as much consistency as Silva has this season and that's why he is very much a part of the Ballon d'Or race this year.
#4 Kylian Mbappe (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
Kylian Mbappe is perhaps the only Paris Saint-Germain player to have come away from the disastrous second leg against Real Madrid with his reputation still intact. The Frenchman scored a goal each in both legs and would have been distraught with the way his team capitulated in the last 30 minutes of the second.
PSG are cruising to the Ligue 1 title right now but we're not sure if that's going to be an achievement that Mbappe will be massively excited about.
In 37 appearances across all competitions for PSG so far this season, Mbappe has scored 26 goals and provided 17 assists. Could this be the year where the 23-year-old wins his first Ballon d'Or and well and truly establishes himself as the next global superstar? It could very well be.
#3 Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool)
Mohamed Salah was left heartbroken as Egypt fell to Senegal in the 2021 AFCON final in a penalty shootout. But he has a chance to avenge that loss by beating Senegal to a World Cup berth on Tuesday. The Pharaohs beat Senegal 1-0 in the first leg and are very close to securing their tickets to Qatar.
Salah has been in sublime form for Liverpool this season. His goalscoring exploits have been vital to the Merseysiders enjoying yet another promising campaign.
The 29-year-old has scored 28 goals and provided 10 assists in 36 appearances across all competitions for Jurgen Klopp's side this season. Salah is very likely to force his way onto the Ballon d'Or podium this year.
#2 Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich)
Robert Lewandowski is the most prolific striker on the planet right now. He makes goalscoring look like a minimum wage day job and has already scored a half-century of goals for club and country in 2021-22.
Lewandowski deserves to win at least one Ballon d'Or for the sheer individual brilliance he has showcased over the last few seasons. He is currently well on course to win it this term.
In 37 appearances across all competitions for Bayern Munich this season, Lewandowski has scored 45 goals and provided four assists.
#1 Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)
Strangely enough, Karim Benzema's greatness was acknowledged during Real Madrid's biggest loss of the season. Los Blancos fell 4-0 to Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu and looked bereft of ideas in the final third in Benzema's absence.
He has been the focal point of their attack in recent seasons and has been their main man over the past couple of seasons. Benzema inspired France to UEFA Nations League glory last year and he could very well inspire Real Madrid to multiple titles this term.
His hat-trick inside the last 30 minutes of the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 tie against PSG is one of the best individual performances of the season. In 34 appearances across all competitions for Carlo Ancelotti's side so far this season, Benzema has scored 32 goals and provided 13 assists.
He is one of the early favorites widely tipped to go on to win the Ballon d'Or this year.
