Ballon d’Or 2022: How does the format for the Ballon d’Or work? Changes made to football’s prestigious award
:focal(145x121:147x119)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2022/07/15/3411067-69701524-310-310.jpg)
Published 12/10/2022 at 14:13 GMT
The 2022 Ballon d’Or is upon us, but there are some rule changes which may swing your opinion on who should win the men’s and women’s award. Lionel Messi won the men’s award last year, but has not been nominated for the first time since 2005, whilst Alexia Putellas is expected to defend her women’s crown. Here is how the winner of the awards are decided.
Guardiola says Man City players were 'exhausted' following Copenhagen draw
There have been some slight changes to the Ballon d’Or for this year which may change your view on who should win the award when the winner is announced on Monday.
Traditionally, the Ballon d’Or is presented to the best player over a 12-month period from January to December.
However, for this year and beyond, this has changed to the award being based on the previous season. This is the period from August 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022.
It’s the reason why Lionel Messi hasn’t been nominated for the Ballon d’Or for the first time since 2005 after his poor campaign with Paris Saint-Germain.
“Inevitably, Lionel Messi, with his 15 appearances in a row since 2006, his seven Ballon d'Or victories, his title holder status, weighs very heavily when it comes to the final choice,” France Football’s deputy editor-in-chief Emmanuel Bojan explained.
“The Argentinian was part of the discussions to integrate the 30, but the new criteria for the Ballon d'Or were unfavourable to him: disappearance of the criterion of a player's entire career, and new periodicity, modelled on a season of football and no longer over a calendar year, which does not make it possible to integrate the Copa America of July 11, 2021.
"And then, it must be admitted that his first season in Paris was very disappointing both in terms of the visual impression and the statistics."
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2021/10/29/3245179-66420848-2560-1440.jpg)
Lionel Messi avec son sixième Ballon d'Or, le 2 décembre 2019 à Paris.
Image credit: Getty Images
Ballon d’Or format
France Football, a highly respected football publication, have come up with a shortlist of 30 contenders for this year’s Ballon d’Or with 20 names for the women’s award. This was announced in August.
A hundred journalists from FIFA's top 100 nations will select their top five from the 30-man shortlist. The same process takes place with the women but with 50 journalists from different nations.
The players on each jury member’s list are awarded points, as follows:
- First: Six points
- Second: Four points
- Third: Three points
- Fourth: Two points
- Fifth: One point
If two or more players are tied on points, the number of first-place votes they received is used as a tie-breaker.
The three main criteria when the jury member is making their decisions are: Individual and collective performance from the previous season, a player’s class and their career.
Whoever gets the most points is the winner of the Ballon d’Or.
Ballon d’Or Feminin nominations
Alexia Putellas is favourite to win the Ballon d’Or Feminin, but she faces stiff competition from several players including Sam Kerr, Wendie Reynard, Ada Hegerberg and England’s Beth Mead.
Arsenal’s forward sensation Vivianne Miedema is also in contention, as is Putellas’ team-mate Fridolina Rolfo.
Selma Bacha helped Lyon win the Champions League last season and it has earned her a place on the shortlist, as have Lena Oberdorf, Kadidiatou Diani and Catarina Macario.
United States legend Alex Morgan is on the list, and is one of two players from the National Women's Soccer League, the other being Trinity Rodman of Washington Spirit.
Christiane Endler is the only goalkeeper to be named on the shortlist.
| Player | Current team |
| Selma Bacha | Lyon |
| Aitana Bonmati | Barcelona |
| Millie Bright | Chelsea |
| Lucy Bronze | Barcelona |
| Kadidiatou Diani | PSG |
| Christiane Endler | Lyon |
| Ada Hegerberg | Lyon |
| Marie-Antoinette Katoto | PSG |
| Sam Kerr | Chelsea |
| Catarina Macario | Lyon |
| Beth Mead | Arsenal |
| Vivianne Miedema | Arsenal |
| Alex Morgan | San Diego Wave |
| Lena Oberdorf | Wolfsburg |
| Asisat Oshoala | Barcelona |
| Alexandra Popp | Wolfsburg |
| Alexia Putellas | Barcelona |
| Wendie Renard | Lyon |
| Trinity Rodman | Washington Spirit |
| Fridolina Rolfo | Barcelona |
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2021/11/29/3263164-66780548-2560-1440.jpg)
FC Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Alexia Putellas poses after being awarded the the women's Ballon d'Or award during the 2021 Ballon d'Or France Football award
Image credit: Getty Images
Ballon d’Or nominations
Karim Benzema is the strong favourite to win the Ballon d’Or following his sensational season that led Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double.
Thibaut Courtois, who is named on the Yachine Trophy shortlist awarded to the best goalkeeper, Champions League final match-winner Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric are also listed in the top 30 for the main prize, as is summer signing Antonio Rudiger.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, Fabinho and Darwin Nunez are included, along with Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son.
Manchester City have strong representation with Erling Haaland, Riyad Mahrez, Joao Cancelo, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva.
Robert Lewandowski is on the list as is last season’s Bundesliga Player of the Season Christopher Nkunku with new team-mate Sadio Mane.
AC Milan's Rafael Leao and goalkeeper Mike Maignan are on the list after winning the Serie A title last season.
| Player | Current team |
| Thibaut Courtois | Real Madird |
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool |
| Rafael Leao | AC Milan |
| Christopher Nkunku | RB Leipzig |
| Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool |
| Vinicius Junior | Real Madrid |
| Bernardo Silva | Manchester City |
| Luis Diaz | Liverpool |
| Robert Lewandowski | Barcelona |
| Riyad Mahrez | Manchester City |
| Casemiro | Manchester United |
| Heung-Min Son | Tottenham |
| Fabinho | Liverpool |
| Karim Benzema | Real Madrid |
| Mike Maignan | AC MIlan |
| Harry Kane | Tottenham |
| Darwin Nunez | Liverpool |
| Phil Foden | Manchester City |
| Sadio Mane | Bayern Munich |
| Sebastien Haller | Borussia Dortmund |
| Luka Modric | Real Madrid |
| Antonio Rudiger | Real Madrid |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City |
| Dusan Vlahovic | Juventus |
| Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool |
| Joao Cancelo | Manchester City |
| Erling Haaland | Manchester City |
| Kylian Mbappe | Paris Saint-Germain |
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement