Ballon d’Or 2022: Who Are the top 5 Candidates to Win the Award?

With the Champions League final, European football officially concluded its 2021/2022 season and a few clubs managed to add the occasional trophy to their showcases. However, now the competition is at an individual level because the greatest recognition that a footballer can win is the Ballon d'Or and we are months away from knowing who will win that award. On what date will it be delivered and who are the best candidates to win it?

As announced by France Football, the organizer of this award, the 2022 edition of the Ballon d'Or will be held on August 17 at the Châtelet Theater in Paris. A few days before, the list will be announced with the 30 candidates to receive the award, both male and female, as well as other awards such as the Kopa trophy (for the best player under 21 years of age) and the Yashin trophy (for the best goalkeeper).

Also read: Karim Benzema: The Best Moment of His Career at the Age of 34

Also, it is important to mention that there were some significant changes in the format for the evaluation period of the nominees. And it is that France Football will now emphasize individual performance over collective results, all this during a season and not per calendar year as it had been done. In addition, the number of journalists who will choose the winner of the Ballon d'Or dropped from 170 to 100, one for each country that is ranked higher in the FIFA ranking. Finally, it must be remembered that the Qatar 2022 World Cup will not be a thermometer for this edition.

Here is a brief analysis of the top 5 candidates to win the 2022 Ballon d'Or. Which of them is your favorite?

Thibaut Courtois

Certainly, it is difficult for a goalkeeper to win the Ballon d'Or, but the season that the Belgian had with Real Madrid is to frame. Courtois was decisive with his performances in the Spanish league from start to finish, conceding 29 goals, making a total of 93 saves, and saving 3 penalties. With all that, his best moments were in the Champions League, because thanks to his interventions, Madrid won that title. One stat that counts a lot is his 61 saves in 13 games, which translates to him stopping almost 5 goals per game.

Kylian Mbappe

The PSG attacker was once again crowned champion of the French league, but unfortunately, he was left behind in the Champions League. It is no secret to anyone that Mbappé will win a Ballon d'Or sooner rather than later, and now after his renewal with the Parisian club many more eyes will be on him. In 2022 he stayed with the leadership of Ligue 1 goals with 28, in addition to 18 assists and a total of 72 opportunities created, numbers that place him at the top of France. In the Champions League, meanwhile, he scored six times, two of them against Real Madrid in the round of 16.

Mohammed Salah

Although it was a difficult year for the Egyptian, he did not leave empty-handed after winning the FA Cup and the EFL Cup with Liverpool. the top scorer in the Premier League with 23 goals (tied with Korean Heung-min Son) and second in assists with 12. His performance in the Champions League (8 goals and 2 assists in 13 games) was also essential for the English club to reach the final, where the attacker created up to four scoring chances that were stopped by Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Robert Lewandowski

Talking about goals is talking about Robert Lewandowski. There was no other player in the five major European leagues who has scored more goals than him. In the Bundesliga, he scored in every possible way: with his right foot, with his left, with a header, from a penalty, for a total of 35. Also, during the 10 games played in the Champions League, he scored 13 goals, only surpassed by Karim Benzema. For several years now, the Polish striker has put up stratospheric numbers to win a Ballon d'Or, falling just a few votes short of winning it in 2021.

Karim Benzema

The favorite for many. Beyond the league titles, Super Cup, and Champions League than Real Madrid won in the season, what the Frenchman did individually was plethoric. In LaLiga he established himself as the top scorer with 27 goals and was second in the assists table, with 12. In addition to this, we must highlight his performance in the Champions League, where he led the white team in comebacks against PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City. In total, he scored 15 goals, of which 10 were scored against the three aforementioned teams. Will Benzema be the winner of the 2022 Ballon d'Or?