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The Ballon d'Or is undoubtedly the most prestigious individual prize in football. The 2022 edition of the Ballon d'Or will be presented on October 17 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France.
For the first time in the history of the award, the winner will be decided on the basis of the results of the season instead of the calendar year. The Ballon d'Or winner will be chosen on the basis of a combination of votes from media representatives, national team captains, and coaches.
The 30-man shortlist for the 2022 Ballon d'Or is as follows:
Thibaut Courtois, Rafael Leao, Christopher Nkunku, Mohamed Salah, Joshua Kimmich, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Vinicius Junior, Bernardo Silva, Luis Diaz, Robert Lewandowski, Riyad Mahrez, Casemiro, Son Heung-min, Fabinho, Karim Benzema, Mike Maignan, Harry Kane, Darwin Nunez, Phil Foden, Sadio Mane, Sébastien Haller, Luka Modric, Antonio Rudiger, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kevin De Bruyne, Dusan Vlahovic, Virgil van Dijk, João Cancelo, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland
Without further ado, let's take a look at the five players who are likely to finish inside the top 5.
#5 Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City)
Kevin De Bruyne is arguably the best attacking midfielder of his generation. When the Belgium international gets going, there is virtually no stopping him. He is one of the most well-rounded footballers around and helps Manchester City make mincemeat of opponents on a regular basis.
He scored 19 goals and provided 14 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions for Manchester City in the 2021-22 campaign. De Bruyne's exploits propelled City to a third Premier League title in four seasons last term. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year and the Champions League Team of the Season.
De Bruyne was also named the 'Premier League Player of the Season' last term.
#4 Kylian Mbappe (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
With Neymar Jr. sidelined for much of the 2021-22 season due to injury and Lionel Messi suffering from debut season blues, Kylian Mbappe had to take the mantle at Paris Saint-Germain. He did it with aplomb and produced a barrage of match-winning performances for the Parisians.
He was the top goalscorer and top assist provider in the league as PSG won the Ligue 1 title. The Frenchman was named the 'Ligue 1 Player of the Year' for his heroics. He was also named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year and the Champions League Team of the Season.
The 23-year-old scored 39 goals and provided 26 assists in 46 appearances across all competitions for PSG in the 2021-22 season.
#3 Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Barcelona)
Robert Lewandowski was as prolific as ever in the 2021-22 season and picked up his second successive European Golden Shoe at the end of it. The Poland international also played a key role in helping Poland secure qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
He won the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich and was inarguably the Bavarians' best player last term. He was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season as well. Lewandowski scored 50 goals and provided seven assists in 46 appearances across all competitions for Bayern Munich in the 2021-22 season.
Despite his incredible goalscoring rate, Lewandowski might not win that elusive Ballon d'Or this year either.
#2 Sadio Mane (Senegal/Bayern Munich)
Sadio Mane had a bit of an underwhelming outing in the 2020-21 season by his own lofty standards. Just as critics were getting ready to write him off, he bounced back with a vengeance.
The Senegal international transitioned to a centre-forward at Liverpool and proved that he still has what it takes to thrive at the highest level. Mane won the EFL Cup and the FA Cup with Liverpool. He was also named the 'Player of the Tournament' as he led Senegal to a triumphant run at the 2021 AFCON.
Mane also helped Senegal secure World Cup qualification. He was chosen as the 'African Footballer of the Year' and was also named in the PFA Team of the Year. In 51 appearances across all competitions for Liverpool last term, Mane scored 23 goals and provided five assists.
Mane is very likely to make it to the Ballon d'Or podium this year.
#1 Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)
Karim Benzema is the odds-on favorite to win the Ballon d'Or this year. He had the best season of his career at an individual level as he showcased sublime form to propel Real Madrid to La Liga and Champions League glory.
Benzema was simply unstoppable in the Champions League knockout stages as he scored the winning goals in all rounds except the finals. He also scored two hat-tricks and bagged a brace in the knockout stages.
He was named 'La Liga Best Player', Champions League Player of the Season and 'UEFA Men's Player of the Year'. Benzema was named in the La Liga Team of the Season and Champions League Team of the Season as well. Benzema should win the Ballon d'Or this year and it will be quite shocking if he doesn't.
