The Lionel Messi/Cristiano Ronaldo era of footballing dominance is over. Sure, the legendary pair are still going strong for both club and country, but 2022 will see their hold on the Ballon d’Or loosened for only the second time since 2007.
Luka Modric is the only player to break up their duopoly on football’s most illustrious individual award, winning the prize back in 2018. However, Robert Lewandowski would have surely been crowned winner in 2020 had it not been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year Karim Benzema is the runaway favourite to lift the Ballon d’Or, having scored an incredible 44 goals last season as Real Madrid won the Champions League and La Liga, while also scoring as France won the Nations League and qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
