This year, the Ballon d'Or conversation seems to be much lower than in previous editions. In 2021, for instance, there was a lot of speculation in the previous weeks, with countless leaks spreading on the Internet as people debated whether Robert Lewandowski or Lionel Messi deserved the award.

In the end, it was the Argentine superstar who emerged victorious, but the result sparked controversy. As a matter of fact, the Pole star was so upset with the outcome that he even threw shade at Messi, later regretting his comments.

However, the 2022 ceremony will be different, as it will reward the greatest player of the club season rather than the best footballer of the calendar year. Though the hype is not as big as last year, leaks have already gone viral on Twitter.

2022 Ballon d'Or results leak out... again

The first leak that came out had Karim Benzema atop the list, something that took no one by surprise as he's the strongest candidate to win this year. The second leak also suggests the Real Madrid star has the most votes, but the podium has a slight difference.

The latter list shows Vinicius Junior finishing third, while the previous leak had Mohamed Salah above the Brazilian. However, there's a coincidence in both which is that neither Lewandowski nor Kylian Mbappe are among the top four.

While the Barcelona striker appears fifth, the Paris Saint-Germain megastar is sixth. Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modric, Heung-Min Son, and Thibaut Courtois complete the top 10, which has notable absences. Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo are not making the best 10 of the vote, with only 31 and 22 points, respectively.