The 66th edition of the prestigious Ballon d'Or award is set to take place earlier in the year than its predecessors due to a change in format from this year on.
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The reputed football prize, presented and nominated by France Football, and voted on by international journalists, will be awarded for performances of footballers over a full season from 2022 on. Previously, the prize was awarded for the players' displays in a calendar year.
Ballon d'Or 2021 was taken home by Lionel Messi who now has a record seven titles on his trophy shelf. In second place is Cristiano Ronaldo with a total of five, having last won it in 2017.
GettyLast year's Women's Ballon d'Or, also known as Ballon d'Or Féminin, was won by Alexis Putellas.
GOAL has everything you need to know about the dates, nominees and favourites for this season's Ballon d'Or.
Who are the Ballon d'Or 2022 nominees?
The nominees for the men's and women's Ballon d'Or 2022 were revealed on August 12, 2022.
The list of nominees were announced by France Football. Here are the full list of nominees for this year's award.
Player | Club | National team |
|---|---|---|
Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid | Belgium |
Rafael Leao | AC Milan | Portugal |
Christopher Nkunku | RB Leipzig | France |
Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | Egypt |
Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich | Germany |
Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool | England |
Bernardo Silva | Manchester City | Portugal |
Luis Diaz | Liverpool | Colombia |
Robert Lewandowski | Barcelona | Poland |
Riyad Mahrez | Manchester City | Algeria |
Casemiro | Manchester United | Brazil |
Heung-Min Son | Tottenham | South Korea |
Fabinho | Liverpool | Brazil |
Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | France |
Mike Maignan | AC Milan | France |
Harry Kane | Tottenham | England |
Darwin Nunez | Liverpool | Uruguay |
Phil Foden | Manchester City | England |
Sadio Mane | Bayern Munich | Senegal |
Sebastian Haller | Borussia Dortmund | Ivory Coast |
Luka Modric | Real Madrid | Croatia |
Antonio Rudiger | Real Madrid | Germany |
Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United | Portugal |
Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | Belgium |
Dusan Vlahovic | Juventus | Serbia |
Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | Netherlands |
Joao Cancelo | Manchester City | Portugal |
Kylian Mbappe | Paris Saint-Germain | France |
Erling Haaland | Manchester City | Norway |
When will Ballon d'Or 2022 take place?
The Ballon d'Or 2022 ceremony will take place on October 17, 2022 at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
The ceremony will also feature the presentation of the Kopa Trophy (for the best performing player under the age of 21) and the Yashin Trophy (for the best goalkeeper). The Kopa Trophy was won by Pedri while Gianluigi Donnarumma bagged the Yashin Trophy in 2021.
- List of Women's Ballon d'Or 2022 nominees
- List of Kopa Trophy 2022 nominees
- List of Yashin Trophy 2022 nominees
Who are the Ballon d'Or 2022 favourites?
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is one of the clear favourites to win the Ballon d'Or 2022. The French forward helped Real Madrid lift both La Liga and Champions League and was influential in the European campaign that featured phenomenal wins over the likes of PSG and Manchester City.
Getty ImagesSadio Mane could become the first African player to win the Ballon d'Or since George Weah in 1995. He is right behind Benzema in the favourites' list having scored 33 goals and helped his teams to Africa Cup of Nations, FA Cup & Carabao Cup success.
His former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah, Barcelona's new elite signing Robert Lewandowski and PSG's superstar strike Kylian Mbappe are some of the others in line with a chance to shine on the Ballon d'Or stage.