Lionel Messi snubbed, Karim Benzema hot favourite: Top 5 contenders for Ballon d'Or 2022
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.