The 2022 Ballon d’Or award ceremony is finally here, with the long-awaited award of the prestigious prize upon us for yet another season, but with a twist. This will be the first time that the award is given out based on the merits of the last season of football, as opposed to the last calendar year. The Ballon d’Or award ceremony will get underway at 19:30 BST, at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
Fittingly, being in the French capital, Karim Benzema is the strong favourite although he faces competition from the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe also in the mix. It will be the first time since 2005 that seven-time winner Leo Messi is not one of the candidates, while Cristiano Ronaldo is among the list but is not considered to have a chance of winning it.
The nominees parade on the red carpet at the 2022 Ballon d’Or gala
The stars are already gathering inside the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris after making their way through the red carpet. The likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Sadio Mane are present, as is the favourite Karim Benzema.
All the spotlights are on Karim Benzema. There are many, very many, who believe that the Real Madrid player will be the winner of the Ballon d’Or at this Monday’s gala.
If so, he would become the fifth Frenchman to win it after Kopa, Platini, Papin and Zidane. The last Frenchman to win it was the latter in 1998.