For the first time since 2005, Lionel Messi was not named on the 30-man shortlist for Ballon d'Or 2022, an award which he has won a staggering 7 times
Lionel Messi may have won an incredible 7 Ballon d'Or titles but his performances in the 2021-22 campaign have seen him miss on the 30-man probable shortlist for Ballon d'Or 2022. This is the first time since 2005, that Messi has missed out on the Ballon D'or shortlist. Incredibly, all the players included in the shortlist when combined have won just six Ballon d'Or titles, with Cristiano Ronaldo having won five, while Luka Modric won it back in 2018.
That being said, with one of football's top prizes at stake, we decided to rack up a list of the top 5 contenders for Ballon d'Or 2022, with Karim Benzema currently the hot-favourite to scoop the golden ball.
1. Kylian Mbappe
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Paris Saint-Germain star striker Kylian Mbappe has been primed to win the Ballon d'Or one day, and he certainly has been among the front runners this season for the top prize with 49 goals, and 31 assists in 2021-22 season, across all competitions.
2. Robert Lewandowski
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With an incredible 57 goals and 12 assists in all competitions for Bayern Munich, Robert Lewandowski is also among those gunning for the Ballon d'Or 2022, having missed out on the top prize last year.
3. Mohamed Salah
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Liverpool were in contention for four trophies in the 2021-22 season and a big reason for that was the form of their star forwards like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. With 33 goals and 19 assists, Salah led the charge as Liverpool won two trophies in FA Cup & Carabao Cup.
4. Sadio Mane
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As mentioned above, Sadio Mane was another key cog in Liverpool's 2021-22 season, which can be considered a success. The African player contributed 33 goals and five assists, before sealing a switch to Bayern Munich.
5. Karim Benzema
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Real Madrid's star striker Karim Benzema led the way as the Los Blancos won the UEFA Champions League and La Liga last year, and his 48 goals combined with 15 assists have the Frenchman as the bookies' early favourite to win the Ballon d'Or 2022.
