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Karim Benzema And Kevin De Bruyne Among Contenders For Ballon d'Or, No Mohamed Salah Or Lionel Messi

Karim Benzema And Kevin De Bruyne Among Contenders For Ballon d'Or, No Mohamed Salah Or Lionel Messi

The five reported candidates for the 2022 Ballon d'Or award revealed.

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar

​The five leading contenders for this year's Ballon d'Or have been revealed, with Mohamed Salah and Lionel Messi reportedly NOT making the cut. 

​Defending Ballon d'Or champion Messi and Salah, who's enjoying an ultra-prolific season at Liverpool, are reportedly not in the running for the coveted individual prize.

Image: PA
Image: PA
Image: PA
Image: PA

That's according to French outlet L'Equipe, who claim Karim Benzema, Kevin De Bruyne, Sadio Mane, Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski are the candidates to win the 2022 Ballon d'Or award. 

Benzema has starred for Real Madrid this season, scoring 37 goals in all competitions including back-to-back hat-tricks in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain then Chelsea. 

Image: PA
Image: PA

As ever, De Bruyne has been extremely influential for Manchester City, scoring and creating goals in the Premier League and Champions League. 

Salah's teammate Mane is also thought to be in the running, having weighed in with 13 goals in all competitions this term. 

Not to mention Mbappe and Lewandowski, who have bagged 31 and 46 goals in all competitions for PSG and Bayern Munich respectively. 

France Football have altered the rules for the Ballon d'Or voting, with the award set to be based on performances over a single season, rather than a calendar year.

That means performances at the upcoming 2022 World Cup will not be considered for this year's award, and instead will be judged when voting for the 2023 Ballon d'Or begins. 

​The prestigious individual award should also reflect the best footballers from each season, rather than those who lift the most trophies. 

Featured Image Credit: Footy Renders

Topics: Ballon d'Or, Karim Benzema, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Lionel Messi

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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@NasJabbar