The list of 30 nominees for the Ballon d’or France Football 2022 is unveiled this Friday. The winner will be known on October 17, with Frenchman Karim Benzema as the big favorite.
The end of an era ? In any case, the consequence of a failed 2021-22 season for Lionel Messi, absent from the list of 30 nominated for the 2022 France Football Golden Ball. List unveiled this Friday. If he has regained his superb since the recovery with PSG, like his acrobatic return which has toured the world in Clermont, the 35-year-old Argentine striker was indeed struggling for his first season in Red and blue. Enough not to appear in this collection of talents, contenders for a trophy that he won last year for the seventh time, a record. Messi absent from the Top 30? A first since 2005. Moreover, the Pulga has always been on the podium since 2017, except in 2018.
The name of Messi’s successor to the list will be known on October 17. And the suspense is limited… European and Spanish champion under the colors of Real Madrid, recent winner of the European Super Cup and author of 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 matches during the past season, Karim Benzema presents himself as THE big favourite. It would be the first Ballon d’Or for the 34-year-old French international, formerly of OL.
SEE ALSO – The presentation of the last Ballon d’Or to Lionel Messi in November 2021
Sadio Mané (Bayern Munich), Mo Salah (Liverpool) and another Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) are also mentioned. serious candidates. But Benzema seems to be untouchable. Kylian Mbappé (PSG) will still have to wait, he who will be weighed down by the premature elimination of Paris-SG in the Champions League, against … Real de Benzema. And this despite a full season on an individual basis, with in particular the first double Top scorer-Best passer in Ligue 1, decisive goals in C1 too, all despite the whirlwind linked to its extension. Imperturbable. The Bondynois is also the only representative of Paris-SG and even of the French championship in this list. No Messi, we said. No Neymar Jr either.
Nkunku and Maignan in the big world
In addition to Benzema and Mbappé, there are two other Blues, two neophytes in this list of 30 nominated for the 2022 Ballon d’Or, starting with Christopher Nkunku. Author of a full season in Germany with Leipzig, the 24-year-old tricolor neo-international left his Parisian nest in 2019 for the Red Bulls. Winning choice for Seine-et-Marnais, who extended this summer after a year at the end of which he was voted best player in the Bundesliga. 32 goals and 20 assists in 51 matches. Very strong. Also trained in Paris, Mike Maignan (AC Milan) is also mentioned.
If he chose to defend the colors of Côte d’Ivoire on the international scene, the former tricolor international hopefuls Sébastien Haller (Dortmund) is part of the list, he who is affected by testicular cancer. Three former L1 players pass the cut: Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) and Fabinho (Liverpool). Embodying the future of world football in the same way as Mbappé, Erling Haaland (Manchester City) is there. This is also the case of Cristiano Ronaldo (Man. United), 37, who had the merit of making statistics and floating in the Mancunian slump. Slump that he would like to leave this summer, but that’s another story…
The List of 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or 2022 :
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Christopher Nkunku (Leipzig), Mo Salah (Liverpool), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Luis Díaz (Liverpool), Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) , Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Heung-Min Son (Tottenham), Fabinho (Liverpool), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Darwin Núñez (Liverpool), Phil Foden (Liverpool), Sadio Mané (Bayern Munich), Sébastien Haller (Dortmund), Luka Modrić (Real Madrid), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Dušan Vlahović (Juventus), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), João Cancelo (Manchester City), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Erling Haaland (Manchester City).