Awarded jointly by FIFA and France Football, the prize was a merger of the FIFA World Player of the Year award and the Ballon d'Or, the two most prestigious individual honours in world football.Unlike the Ballon d'Or awarded by France Alexia Putellas, star of Spain and Barca, won her second successive Ballon d'Or. The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner rolled back the years last season, putting in a series of virtuoso performances at the age of 36 as Madrid triumphed domestically and on the continent. The red-hot favourite claimed the coveted men's prize at the Theatre du Chalet in Paris. 09:43, 19 Oct 2022 | comments; Neymar has hit out at this years Ballon dOr rankings and claimed that his Brazil international teammate Vinicius Junior should have been higher in the rankings. Ballon DOr 2022 will take place in Paris, France on October 18 and Real Madrid talisman Karim Benzema is tipped by many to take home the award in the mens category. The top four of the rankings as confirmed, with Sadio Mane in second place, Kevin De Bruyne third and Robert Lewandowski fourth. Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min finished 11th in the 2022 Ballon dOr rankings, narrowly missing the top 10 but beating teammate Harry Kane and five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo. The Ballon d'Or (French pronunciation: [bal d] (); lit. Ballon dOr: Karim Benzema wins the Ballon dOr! Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has won his first ever Ballon d'Or. The favourite for the 2022 Ballon d'Or, Karim Benzema's 44 goals powered Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid side to La Liga and Champions League triumph last season. Former Real Madrid defensive midfielder Casemiro, who joined Manchester United earlier at the start of the 2022-23 campaign, occupied 17th place in the 2022 Ballon d'Or rankings. The FIFA Ballon d'Or ("Golden Ball") was an annual association football award presented to the world's best men's player from 2010 to 2015. Sadio Mane - Liverpool/Bayern Munich 3. This year's Ballon d'Or Feminin was awarded for performance in the 2021-22 season, rather than the calendar year. Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez was brutally mocked by Specsavers after finishing 25th in the Ballon dOr rankings. Ballon d'Or Benzema says it was a 'dream' to emulate Zidane with Ballon dOr win Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year (founded in 1991) and known as the FIFA Ballon d'Or.That partnership ended in 2016, and the Karim Benzema - Real Madrid 2. Ballon d'Or 2022: Get all the latest Ballon d'Or news, Player rankings 2022, and a list of all the ballon d'Or winners. Football's night of nights will honour the very best players over the 2021/22 season. Real Madrids Karim Benzema wins the 2022 Mens Ballon dOr award. 2008 (Ronaldo: Ballon d'Or winner, Messi: 2nd) Aged 23 at the time and during the penultimate season of his first stint at Manchester United, Ronaldo was the first of the duo to win the Ballon d'Or.The Portuguese forward scored 42 goals during the 2007-08 campaign as United won both the Premier League and Champions League, which ultimately saw him finish ahead of Barcelona starlet Gavi won the 2022 Kopa Trophy, the prize given to the world's best U21 player. LAST FIVE FRENCH BALLON D'OR WINNERS. 1 - Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) 2 - Sadio Mane (Liverpool/Bayern Munich) 3 - Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) The French striker is set to end a 14-year wait to receive footballs highest individual honor at the Theatre du Chatelet, where the Ballon dOr gala is held. Real Madrid's Karim Benzema celebrates after winning the 2022 Ballon d'Or trophy during the 66th Ballon d'Or ceremony at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. Getty 8. Kevin De Bruyne - Manchester City 4. Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022 11:34 a.m.: Another five players and a handful of Englishmen on the list including Harry Kane , Phil Foden , and Trent Alexander-Arnold . His first entry into the award came in 2021 with the Norwegian finishing 11th with 33 votes to his name. MORE: All 30 finalists for the 2022 Ballon d'Or. The 2001 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to Michael Owen on 18 December 2001.. Owen was the fourth English national to win the award after Stanley Matthews (), Bobby Charlton (1966) and Kevin Keegan (1978, 1979).. Cristiano Ronaldo has finished 20th in the Ballon d'Or rankings for 2022. Follow Sportskeeda for Ballon d'Or 2022 rankings and more. That means performances at the 2022 World Cup, which is set to kick-off in November, will not be considered this year, and instead will be judged when voting for the 2023 Ballon d'Or gets under way. Raymond Kopa - 1958 Michel Platini - 1983 / 1984 / 1985 Jean-Pierre Papin - 1991 Zinedine Zidane - 1998 Karim Benzema - 2022 2022 BALLON D'OR RANKINGS Xavi was the second Barcelona player in the top three, finishing a further 63 points behind Ronaldo. MORE: All 30 finalists for the 2022 Ballon d'Or. Ballon d'Or 2022 Final Rankings. 1. 'Golden Ball ') is an annual football award presented by French news magazine France Football since 1956. A leaked image of the rumoured Ballon d'Or rankings has appeared online and makes very interesting reading. Benzema won the La Liga and the Champions League with Madrid last year. Alexia Putellas won the Women's Ballon d'Or in 2021, but one of England's Euros heroes, Beth Mead, and Lyon's Champions League-winner Ada Hegerbeg are in also contention for the 2022 Golden Ball The 66th edition of the Ballon d'Or 2022 ceremony, which was held today, Monday, October 17, 2022, saw Real Madrid and France forward Karim Benzema pick up the prestigious award; the organizers released the full player power rankings. Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich/Barcelona 5. Award organizers France Football began unveiling the men's Ballon d'Or rankings four hours before beginning at 4:30 p.m. Paris time, as a way of building up the buzz for the event. Rankings The 2009 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in the world as judged by an international panel of sports journalists, was awarded to Lionel Messi of Barcelona on 1 December 2009.. Messi won the award by a then record margin, 240 points ahead of 2008 winner Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 Ballon d'Or ceremony is nearly upon us. As rivals on the field for nearly their entire careers, it's no surprise that the two have jockeyed atop the all-time Ballon d'Or rankings. That means performances at the 2022 World Cup, which is set to kick-off in November, will not be considered this year, and instead will be judged when voting for the 2023 Ballon d'Or gets under way. Karim Benzema is in a one-horse race for the Ballon dOr award and should be handed the prestigious accolade in Paris on Monday, according to Spanish outlet Marca. As rivals on the field for nearly their entire careers, it's no surprise that the two have jockeyed atop the all-time Ballon d'Or rankings. Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez has finished in joint 25th place in the Ballon d'Or rankings.. Ballon DOr 2022: Karim Benzema Ballon DOr We are less than a week away from the 2022 Ballon DOr ceremony and its time we take a closer look at one of the favorites to win this years award! He finished as the La Liga top-scorer last season with 27 goals and also the Champions League top-scorer in 15 goals. Ballon d'Or 2022 - Rankings. The 2022 edition is only the second time Haaland has been a finalist for the Ballon d'Or.