The 30-man shortlist for the French Football magazine’s yearly award, the Ballon d'Or, was revealed on August 12 (Friday). For the very first time, the award will be given based on the results of the previous season, not the year. Therefore, this year’s main event will be held on October 17 at the Théâtre du Chatelet. Argentina’s Lionel Messi wasn’t included among the nominees for the first time since 2005. France’s Karim Benzema is the early favoruite to win this year's award. Besides, some of the players from the shortlist are nominated for the award for the first time. Let's look at the Ballon d'Or 2022 predictions.
Potential candidates to win the 2022 Ballon d’Or award
Some footballers deserve to be included among the top three lists for the gala event because of their outstanding 2021–2022 European club football seasons. Here are the top 10 players that have a chance to take home the prestigious award.
10) Son Heung-min (South Korea & Tottenham Hotspur)
Notable achievements in 2021-2022 season:
Premier League Golden Boot (personal)
Son Heung-min became the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot award in the 2021–2022 season with 23 goals. He was one of the top performers in European club football last season. Son netted 30 goals and assisted 10, helping Tottenham to finish in the top four in the points table.
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9) Trent Alexander-Arnold (England & Liverpool)
Notable achievements in 2021-2022 season:
FA Cup, EFL Cup, FA Community Shield, Champions League (Runner-Up)
Trent Alexander-Arnold might not be one of the top fullbacks in Europe in terms of defensive prowess. However, going forward, he is one of the best in the world, as evidenced by his 22 assists last season.
8) Thibaut Courtois (Belgium & Real Madrid)
Notable achievements in 2021-2022 season:
La Liga, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Supercopa de Espana
Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had a fantastic 2021-2022 season with Real Madrid. Courtois made a total of 23 clean sheets and his brilliant performance in the UCL final helped Madrid win their 14th Champions League trophy.
7) Luka Modric (Croatia & Real Madrid)
Notable achievements in 2021-2022 season:
La Liga, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Supercopa de Espana
At 36, Luka Modric has proved that he is still capable of producing magical performances when needed. Modric had some brilliant moments with Real Madrid last season, especially in the Champions League. Apart from scoring 7 goals, the sensational midfielder also made 14 assists.
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6) Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium & Manchester City)
Notable achievements in 2021-2022 season:
Premier League
Attacking midfielder Kevin De Bruyne had another stellar season with Manchester City. He netted 21 goals and assisted 18 times last season, which helped the Citizens to win the Premier League title for the fourth time in five years.
5) Vinicius Junior (Brazil & Real Madrid)
Notable achievements in 2021-2022 season:
La Liga, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Supercopa de Espana
The Brazilian wunderkind Vinicius Junior was one of the key members of Real Madrid’s fruitful 2021–2022 season. He has shown magnificent bondage with Karim Benzema upfront, which ultimately helped the Los Blancos to win the UCL trophy. Vinicius scored 22 goals apart from assisting 19 times.
4) Robert Lewandowski (Poland, Bayern Munich & Barcelona)
Notable achievements in 2021-2022 season:
Bundesliga, European Golden Boot (personal)
The Polish goal machine, Robert Lewandowski, had another magnificent season with Bayern Munich. He scored 57 times in the 2021–2022 season for the Bavarians. Lewandowski can finish in the top three since the Ballon d’Or is an individual award.
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3) Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
Notable achievements in 2021-2022 season:
FA Cup, EFL Cup, FA Community Shield, Champions League (Runner-Up), Premier League Golden Boot (personal)
Liverpool’s main hitman, Egyptian Mohamed Salah, found the net 33 times and made 19 assists as well last season. Salah was one of the main reasons Liverpool reached three finals and finished second in the Premier League.
2) Sadio Mane (Senegal, Liverpool & Bayern Munich)
Notable achievements in 2021-2022 season:
FA Cup, EFL Cup, DFL-Supercup, Champions League (Runner-Up)
Sadio Mane was simply incredible during the 2021-2022 season. He smashed 33 goals and assisted five times for Liverpool, helping his team to win the FA Cup and EFL Cup. Mane is the early favourite to finish in the top three on the list.
1) Karim Benzema (France & Real Madrid)
Notable achievements in 2021-2022 season:
La Liga, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Supercopa de Espana, Pichichi Trophy (personal), UCL player of the season (personal), UCL top goal scorer (personal)
Almost everyone is of the opinion that Karim Benzema will win the Ballon d'Or 2022 award after a stellar campaign with Real Madrid. He has been Madrid's go-to player for the past two years, scoring goals when his club most needed them. The Frenchman contributed 15 assists along with 48 goals scored for Real Madrid last season. Karim also won the UEFA Nations League (2020–21).
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Verdict
The majority of football experts and journalists think that French forward Karim Benzema of Real Madrid will win this year's Ballon d'Or 2022 award because of how he played in the 2021–202 season. Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are the heavy favorites to place in the top three since Liverpool finished as the runners-up in the Champions League last year. Besides that, Vinicius Junior and Robert Lewandowski are the other two contenders who have a good chance of making the top three list.