Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is the hot favourite in the Ballon d'Or 2022 odds market but who are the other nominees?
Generally accepted as the highest individual honour in football, the Ballon d'Or has only evaded the grasp of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo on one occasion since 2008 - Luka Modric in 2018. Yet, Karim Benzema (1/20) is now ready for his career defining moment.
When is the Ballon d'Or ceremony?
The Ballon d'Or 2022 ceremony will be held on Monday 17th October 17 at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. It is expected that proceedings will get underway at 20:30 local time in France (19:30 UK).
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Why is Benzema such a strong favourite?
Benzema is a best price 1/20 to win the award after a stunning 2021/22 season in which he bagged 44 goals in 46 appearances, leading Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double.
And his prospects are only strengthened by a change to the timeline for the award. This year's Ballon d’Or winner will be selected based on performances from the 2021/22 European club season, rather than the calendar year.
Last year's event was shrouded in controversy as Messi (30/1 this year) became the first player to win the Ballon d'Or for a seventh time - beating Robert Lewandowski (33/1) to the top prize despite winning just the Copa del Rey in the previous season with Barcelona.
Benzema may well have come under pressure from Erling Haaland (12/1 second favourite) under the old rules given the Norwegian striker’s explosive start to life with Manchester City.
Something else to note for 2022 is that voting criteria has been updated to eliminate consideration for overall career performance and instead focus on these three main factors:
- Individual performance in previous season
- Team success during the previous season
- Player behaviour and fair play during season in consideration
Who are the nominees for the Ballon d’Or 2022?
| Name | Position | Club | National Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | DF | Liverpool | England |
| Karim Benzema | FW | Real Madrid | France |
| Joao Cancelo | DF | Manchester City | Portugal |
| Casemiro | MF | Real Madrid (now Manchester United) | Brazil |
| Thibaut Courtois | GK | Real Madrid | Belgium |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | FW | Manchester United | Portugal |
| Kevin De Bruyne | MF | Manchester City | Belgium |
| Luis Diaz | FW | Porto / Liverpool | Colombia |
| Fabinho | MF | Liverpool | Brazil |
| Phil Foden | FW | Manchester City | England |
| Erling Haaland | FW | Borussia Dortmund (now Manchester City) |
Norway |
| Sebastien Haller | FW | Ajax (now Borussia Dortmund) |
Ivory Coast |
| Harry Kane | FW | Tottenham Hotspur | England |
| Joshua Kimmich | MF | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| Rafael Leao | FW | AC Milan | Portugal |
| Robert Lewandowski | FW | Bayern Munich (now Barcelona) |
Poland |
| Riyad Mahrez | FW | Manchester City | Algeria |
| Mike Maignan | GK | AC Milan | France |
| Sadio Mane | FW | Liverpool (now Bayern Munich) |
Senegal |
| Kylian Mbappe | FW | PSG | France |
| Luka Modric | MF | Real Madrid | Croatia |
| Christopher Nkunku | FW | RB Leipzig | France |
| Darwin Nunez | FW | Benfica (now Liverpool) |
Uruguay |
| Antonio Rudiger | DF | Chelsea (now Real Madrid) | Germany |
| Mohamed Salah | FW | Liverpool | Egypt |
| Bernardo Silva | MF | Manchester City | Portugal |
| Son Heung-min | FW | Tottenham Hotspur | South Korea |
| Virgil van Dijk | DF | Liverpool | Netherlands |
| Vinicius Junior | FW | Real Madrid | Brazil |
| Dusan Vlahovic | FW | Fiorentina/Juventus | Serbia |
Ballon d'Or 2022 Odds:
| Name | Best Price | Worst Price |
|---|---|---|
| Karim Benzema | 1/20 | 1/33 |
| Erling Haaland | 12/1 | 9/1 |
| Kylian Mbappe | 25/1 | 16/1 |
| Mohamed Salah | 25/1 | 14/1 |
