Ballon d’Or, considered to be the highest individual football accolade in the world given by the France Football magazine, is scheduled on Monday evening at Theatre du Chatalet in Paris, with Karim Benzema expected to be named the world’s best male footballer.
The most prestigious football’s individual award has been awarded the best player of each year since 1956.
The men’s and women’s Ballon d’Ors will be awarded, as will the Lev Yashin Trophy, the Socrates Trophy, and other awards as well. The ceremony will take place between 19:00 CEST and 20:00 CEST – local time in Paris.
For the first time, this year’s Ballon d’Or and other awards will be based on achievements from a football season – the 2021/22 campaign – in the past, they were determined based on calendar years.
The fact that Lionel Messi, who has won the trophy more frequently than anybody else in its history, is not a nominee this year is a novelty. It’s the first time since 2006 that he hasn’t received a nomination.
Last season’s winner was Lionel Messi, who has not been included in the list with the nominees this term for the first time in 17 years. Since 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo (five) and Messi (six) have won the award a total of 11 times.
The only season that none of the two men received the prize was in 2018, when it was handed to Luka Modric.
A total of 43 different footballers have received the accolade. Germany and the Netherlands dominate the list with seven winners each. Messi (13), Cristiano Ronaldo (12), Franz Beckenbauer and Michel Platini (five each) are the players who have achieved the most podiums.
After an outstanding year with Real Madrid and Croatia, Luka Modric took home the award in 2018. This year, it is anticipated that Karim Benzema of Los Blancos will win.
Everything points to Karim Benzema of Real Madrid as the winner of this edition. Being the leading scorer in both competitions, the Frenchman won the Champions League as well as LaLiga Santander.
The Women’s Ballon d’Or
Alexia Putellas of Spain and Barcelona won the trophy in 2017 in a momentous occasion for Spanish women’s football, and despite her lengthy injury absence during the summer, she is a contender again this year.
Beth Mead and Ada Hegerberg are thought to be Putellas’ two main competitors for the prize this year, though the English player is receiving a lot of support due to her triumph in the Women’s European Championship in the summer.
The Kopa Trophy
Gavi and Eduardo Camavinga are two of the favorites for the Kopa Trophy, which has been awarded to the best Under-21 player since 2018.
With Pedri having won it in 2021, it could be won by Barcelona players for consecutive seasons.
Thibaut Courtois is favorite to win the Yashin Trophy as the best goalkeeper around, having been brilliant for Real Madrid last season.
Nominees for the men’s Ballon d’Or
- Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
- Rafael Leao (AC Milan)
- Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
- Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
- Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
- Casemiro (Real Madrid)
- Heung-Min Son (Tottenham)
- Fabinho (Liverpool)
- Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
- Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
- Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
- Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
- Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
- Luis Diaz (Liverpool)
- Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
- Mike Maignan (AC Milan)
- Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)
- Phil Foden (Manchester City)
- Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich)
- Sebastien Haller (Borussia Dortmund)
- Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
- Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
- Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
- Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
- Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus)
- Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
