The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious award in the game of football. France Football presents the award to the best performing footballer in a calendar year. The Ballon d’Or 30-man list was released earlier this month and there were a few surprises.
Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi was not on the list. There are a lot of familiar names. The winner of the Ballon d’Or will be determined by a combination of votes from national team captains and coaches.
The Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held in October of 2022. The winner of this year’s prize will be announced a month and a half away.
Let’s take a look at the Ballon d’Or Power Rankings for the month of August
#10 Erling Haaland (Norway/Manchester City)
Haaland was able to showcase his marksmanship despite being out for a significant amount of time. The Norway international scored 29 goals and provided eight assists in 30 appearances for the team.
He was a member of Manchester City earlier in the summer. The 22-year-old is off to a great start to the new season, scoring three goals and providing an assist in three appearances. He is tipped to be a future Ballon d’Or winner, despite not coming close to the podium.
#9 Son Heung-MIn (South Korea/Tottenham Hotspur)
Son Heung-Min was the first ever Asian player to win the Golden Boot in any of Europe’s top five leagues. Both of them scored 23 goals in the English top flight last season, and he shared it with him.
The 30-year-old was the main man for Spurs last season as they finished fourth in the Premier League table and qualified for the European Championship. He scored 24 goals and provided 10 assists in 45 appearances.
Son has provided just one assist in three appearances so far in the new season.
#8 Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool)
In the first half of the season, Mohamed Salah was the most in-form forward. The second half of the campaign was when the Egypt international’s form waned. He did win the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup last season, but missed out on the top prizes.
Egypt fell to Senegal in the final of the 2021 AFCON, missing out on the chance to win the title. Egypt failed to qualify for the World Cup. His dip in form since the turn of the year has seen him plummet down the Ballon d’Or Power Rankings.
He scored 31 goals and provided 16 assists for the Reds last season.
#7 Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City)
Kevin De Bruyne’s consistency and sheer individual brilliance played a huge role in making Manchester City the premier league champion last season. His playmaking skills and ability to score goals in the middle of the field made his side almost unstoppable.
He provided 14 assists and scored 19 goals for Manchester City last season. He scored a goal and provided three assists in three appearances so far in the new season of the premier league.
#6 Luka Modric (Croatia/Real Madrid)
Luka Modric was Real Madrid’s architect-in-chief in the middle as they won two titles. The Croatia international has crossed over to his late 30s, but he is still an elite player that we’ve become familiar with over the last decade.
Real Madrid overcame the odds to become the champion of Europe, as Modric came up clutch on multiple occasions. He scored three goals and had 12 assists in 45 appearances for Los Blancos.
The winner of the Ballon d’Or might not win it again.
#5 Vinicius Jr. (Brazil/Real Madrid)
Vinicius Jr. was the most improved player in the top five leagues. He was a different beast last term as he grew into a world-class winger who was also the perfect foil for Benzema.
The Brazilian attacker was unstoppable in the final third with his dribbling skills and unpredictability. He scored 22 goals and provided 20 assists for Real Madrid.
Vinicius scored the winning goal for Real Madrid in the final of the European soccer competition. If Vinicius makes the Ballon d’Or podium, we will be very surprised.
#4 Kylian Mbappe (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
The Paris Saint-Germain trophy cabinet didn’t fully reflect their potential. Kylian Mbappe would be the favorite to win the Ballon d’Or. He scored 39 goals and provided 26 assists in 46 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain last season.
The fact that Mbappe is the best attacker in the world is underscored by those numbers. He was the top scorer and assist provider of the season. He won the league title and is not likely to win the most coveted individual honor this year.
#3 Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Barcelona)
Robert Lewandowski picked up his second successive European Golden Shoe last season, scoring 35 goals in the Bundesliga The Poland international won a title with a different club.
He scored half a century of goals and provided seven assists for the Bavarians. The Polish team made it to the World Cup. The Ballon d’Or is likely to stay out of reach for Lewandowski this year.
#2 Sadio Mane (Senegal/Bayern Munich)
Sadio Mane is not at the club. He is flourishing at his new club. In the first half of last season, he appeared to be starting to fade, but he came back strong.
He had 23 goals and five assists in 51 appearances for the Merseysiders during the last season. They won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup with the help of the Senegalese player.
The ‘Player of the Tournament’, as well as the leader of the winning team, was named after him. He helped his national team get into the World Cup and was recently named the African Player of the Year.
🏆 Scored in German Supercup win⚽️ 3 goals in first 3 Bundesliga games🔥 Bayern Munich score 15 goals in first 3 games🏅 Ballon d’Or nomineeSadio Mané is loving life 🤩 https://t.co/FF65Nn3fwS
#1 Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)
Benzema is a favorite to win the Ballon d’Or. Carlo Ancelotti’s side won the La Liga title in the season that ended in June.
Real Madrid overcame the odds to win the European Championship. In the Round of 16 and quarter-finals, Benzema scored three times.
He had a pair against Manchester City in the semi-finals. Benzema scored the winning goals against all three of these teams. He finished the season with 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 appearances across all competition.
Edited by Shambhu Ajith
