FINALLY; Check out the top 20 contenders for the 2022 Ballon d’Or Award revealed by France Football on Friday evening

FINALLY; Check out the top 20 contenders for the 2022 Ballon d’Or Award revealed by France Football on Friday evening

Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Mohamed Salah, and Kylian Mbappe are a few of the players who made the cut.

But who will win the title when the outcome is revealed on October 17?

20. Luis Diaz

In the first half of the season, Diaz ripped it up for FC Porto. Following his January signing with Liverpool, he was a revelation.

19. Joao Cancelo

Cancelo, despite being a full-back, has become one of Man City’s most important players.

18. Casemiro

Casemiro ought to place in the top 20 after playing a crucial role on a successful Real Madrid squad in 2021–2022.

17. Phil Foden

Foden continues to go from strength-to-strength as every year goes by. He could well win the Ballon d’Or in the future.

16. Cristiano Ronaldo

Since 2004, Ronaldo has now appeared on the Ballon d’Or shortlist in every season. That’s crazy. Even at the age of 37, he still accomplishes amazing things.

Cristiano Ronaldo ( Photo by Getty Images)

15. Harry Kane

Kane started the season off slowly but found his groove when Antonio Conte was appointed manager.

14. Trent-Alexander-Arnold

Alexander-Arnold has done, and continues to do some incredible things on the football pitch.

13. Christopher Nkunku

Nkunku scored just the 35 goals in 52 games for RB Leipzig last season. Not too shabby.

Christopher Nkunku(photo by Getty images)

12. Erling Haaland

We think Haaland will just miss out on the top 10 after scoring 29 goals in 30 games for Dortmund in 2021/22.

11. Heung-min Son

Son won the Premier League Golden Boot (shared with Mohamed Salah) after a stunning campaign with Spurs.

10. Virgil van Dijk

The best defender in the world. He was back to his best in the 2021/22 season after fully recovering from a serious knee injury.

Virgil Van Djik (photo by Getty images)

9. Kevin De Bruyne

De Bruyne was named the Premier League Player of the Season after leading Manchester City to their fourth title in five years.

8. Thibaut Courtois

Courtois was imperious for Real Madrid in the 2021/22 campaign and produced a Man-of-the-Match performance in the Champions League final vs Liverpool.

7. Luka Modric

The Ballon d’Or winner from 2018 is still a fantastic player at age 36.

6. Vinicius Jr

It was a breakout season for the Brazilian, who has formed a devastating partnership with Benzema for Real Madrid.

5. Mohamed Salah

Salah started the 2021/22 season on fire but tailed off slightly as the campaign went on. Still, he deserves a top five finish.

4. Kylian Mbappe

While Mbappe was at his best for PSG in the 2021–2022 season, Lionel Messi and Neymar weren’t. He had a 49 goal and 31 assist season for club and country in 2021/22.

3. Robert Lewandowski

Lewandowski will likely come close once more, but his Ballon d’Or wait will continue. In the 2021–2022 season, he led Bayern Munich with 50 goals.

2. Sadio Mane

Liverpool won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup thanks in large part to Mane’s outstanding play. He also played a crucial role in Senegal’s victory at the Africa Cup of Nations, which guaranteed their place in the World Cup finals.

1. Karim Benzema

It would be shocking if Benzema wasn’t declared the winner. He scored 44 goals during the 2021–2022 season, leading Real Madrid to both the Champions League and La Liga titles.

Karim Benzema is in superb form and will be looking to add to his goal tally (Picture: Getty Images)

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