The 2021/2022 season is already over. Indeed in Europe most clubs have already started their pre-season and in some countries the official tournaments have already resumed. But the final touch of this exercise is yet to come, the presentation of the Ballon d’Or. The most important trophy at the individual level has always been counted by calendar year, but France Football decided to change format and it will be given on a seasonal basis.
After the absolute control of the trophy by Cristiano Ronaldo et Lionel Messi over the past 15 years, neither of them is a clear candidate to win the prize. It looks like the trophy is destined for Madrid. After an exceptional season, Karim Benzema is the main contender for the prize, while Sadio Mané, Mohammed Salah, De Bruyne or even Thibaut Courtois are other players likely to win the prize.
With the rule change, the Nations Leaguewhich was held at the beginning of last June, will enter the vote, but the Qatar World Cup will be excluded from the Ballon d’Or 2022, it will count for 2023.
The awards ceremony will take place on October 17, in both the male and female categories. However, the list of nominees will come out much earlier, on August 12.
As for the parameters to be taken into account, meetings with national teams also have a great influence. For example, Sadio Mane may have an advantage over Mohamed Salah, as he won the African Cup and knocked him out of World Cup qualification as well.
One of the changes in this edition is voting. Until now, in the case of the men’s category, 170 journalists might vote and now the number has been reduced to 100 journalists from the 100 highest ranked nations in the FIFA rankings. As for the female category, 50 specialized journalists will be responsible for voting.
