The moment we’ve been waiting for is here. On Friday, France Football released announced the 30 nomineesfor the2022 Ballon d’Or. The winner will be knownonOctober 17, in a ceremony to be held at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
For the first time since 2005, Lionel Messi didn’t makethe cut. The Argentine star, who holds the record for most Ballon d’Ors won, had won the prize last year in a decision that sparked controversy, as many thought Robert Lewandowski deserved it more than him.
The Ballon d’Or criteria has changed this year, taking into account the typical club season rather than the calendar year. With that in mind, Messi’s omission maybe explained by his lackluster2021-22 campaign in his first year since leaving Barcelona. Even so, to overlookone of, if not the best playerof all time in a list of 30 players is very questionable.PSG teammate Neymar was also snubbed in the 30-man shortlist.
2022 Ballon d’Or nominees: 30-man shortlist released without Messi, Neymar
While Messi and Neymar were not nominated, Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe was included in the shortlist and is among the favorites to win the award. Vinicius Junior is also a heavy candidate, but Real Madrid goalscoring machine Karim Benzema is without any doubt the frontrunner after a fantastic season.
2022 Ballon d’Or Nominees:
- Thibaut Courtois
- Rafael Leão
- Christopher Nkunku
- Mohamed Salah
- Joshua Kimmich
- Trent Alexander-Arnold
- Vinicius JR
- Bernardo Silva
- Luis Díaz
- Robert Lewandowski
- Riyad Mahrez
- Casemiro
- Heung-Min Son
- Fabinho
- Karim Benzema
- Mike Maignan
- Harry Kane
- Darwin Núñez
- Phil Foden
- Sadio Mané
- Sébastien Haller
- Luka Modrić
- Antonio Rüdiger
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Kevin De Bruyne
- Dušan Vlahović
- Virgil van Dijk
- João Cancelo
- Kylian Mbappé
- Erling Haaland
