On August 13 (Beijing time), French Football magazine announced the 30-man shortlist for the 2022 Ballon d'Or Awards, led by Benzema, who is also the biggest favorite of this year's Ballon d'Or, as he won last season's La Liga, Champions League, Premier League and UEFA Nations League titles, and won the Champions League Golden Boot.
Ronaldo, Levan, Mbappe, Mane, Salah, Kane and Son Heung-min are on the list, while Messi and Neymar are out of the list.
The 2022 Golden Globe Awards are awarded on October 17, 2022, still held at the Châtelet Theatre in Paris.
Shortlist
| Players | club | nationality | Continent |
| Courtois | Real madrid | Belgium(1) | Europe(1) |
| Leo | Ac milan | Brazil(1) | South America(1) |
| Nkunku | Leipzig | French(1) | Europe(2) |
| Salah | Liverpool | Egypt(1) | Africa(1) |
| Kimmich | Bayern | Germany(1) | Europe(3) |
| Arnold | Liverpool | England(1) | Europe(4) |
| Levan | Bayern/Barca | Poland(1) | Europe(5) |
| Seat B | Manchester city | Portugal(1) | Europe(6) |
| Vinicius | Real madrid | Brazil(2) | South America(2) |
| Luis Díaz | Liverpool | Colombia (1) | South America(3) |
| Benzema | Real madrid | French(2) | Europe(7) |
| Fabinho | Liverpool | Brazil(3) | South America(4) |
| Mahrez | Manchester city | Algeria (1) | Africa(2) |
| Sun Xingyu | Tottenham | Korea, Republic of(1) | Asia(1) |
| Casemiro | Real madrid | Brazil(4) | South America(5) |
| Foden | Manchester city | England(2) | Europe(8) |
| Kane | Tottenham | England(3) | Europe(9) |
| Mane | Liverpool/Bayern | Senegal(1) | Africa(3) |
| Nunez | Benfica/Liverpool | Uruguay(1) | South America(6) |
| Menion | Ac milan | French(3) | Europe(10) |
| Alai | Ajax/Dort | Ivory Coast (1) | Africa(4) |
| Modric | Real madrid | Croatia(1) | Europe(11) |
| Rudiger | Chelsea/Real Madrid | Germany(2) | Europe(12) |
| Ronaldo | Manchester United | Portugal(2) | Europe(13) |
| De Bruyne | Manchester city | Belgium(2) | Europe(14) |
| Vlahovich | Juventus | Serbia(1) | Europe(15) |
| Van Dijk | Liverpool | Netherlands(1) | Europe(16) |
| Cancello | Manchester city | Portugal(3) | Europe(17) |
| Mbappe | Paris Saint-Germain | French(4) | Europe(18) |
| Haaland | Manchester city | Norway(1) | Europe(19) |
Highlights of the 2022 Golden Globe Awards
Seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi lost
Seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi has been shortlisted for the first time in 16 years. Since being first shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or in 2006, the Argentine has never been absent from the shortlist before the Ballon d'Or, winning the Ballon d'Or seven times in his career, the most in history.
Given that the Ballon d'Or has revised the selection period to a multi-year season, Messi, who performed poorly in Paris last season, was rightly defeated.
Ronaldo has been shortlisted for the Golden Globe Award for 18 consecutive years
In terms of the number of Golden Globe nominations, Ronaldo 18 times topped the list, Messi 15 times second! The specific number of nominations is as follows:
1. C Luo 18 times (won 5 times)
2. Messi 15 times (won 7 times)
3. Maldini 13 times (0 awards)
4. Cruyff 12 times (won 3 times)
5. Beckenbauer 12 times (won 2 times)
6. Buffon 11 times (0 awards)
7. Ibrahimovic 11 times (0 awards)
8. Zidane 11 times (1 award)
9. Benzema 11 times (0 awards, excluding this time)
Son Xingyu became the only seedling in Asia
Seven-time Asian Ballon d'Or winner Son Heung-min is shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or for the second time in his career. In the past 2021-22 season, Son Heung-min won the Premier League Golden Boot with 23 goals, helping Spurs return to the Champions League stage.
Son is the only player in Asia to be shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or.
Nineteen of the 30 candidates are from Europe, accounting for more than 60%.
Among the 30 candidates for the 2022 Ballon d'Or Award, 19 European players, accounting for 63.3%. France and Brazil each had four finalists, which was strong. And the winner could end up in France, where the top favourite Benzema's spot seems unshakable.
During the performance reference period of the Golden Ball, Benzema scored 50 goals and 16 assists in each competition, won four titles, and won the La Liga Golden Boot and the Champions League Golden Boot.
Benzema played 10 games for the French national team, contributing 6 goals and 1 assist to win the UEFA Nations League.
In the 2021-2022 season, Benzema scored 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 games in various competitions, including 27 goals in 32 La Liga games and 15 goals in 12 Champions League games, winning the La Liga Golden Boot and the Champions League Golden Boot for the first time in his career, and winning the Champions League, La Liga and The Western Super Cup with Real Madrid.
This is Benzema's 11th ballon-d'or candidacy, making him the most selected French player.
There was no harvest of particles from North and Central America and Oceania
In the list of nominations for the 2022 Golden Globe Awards, except for the Asian only seedling Son Xingyu, there is no nomination in Central and North America and Oceania, which is really the Golden Globe Award Desert.
List of past Ballon d'Or winners
Since its inception in 1956, the Golden Globes have gone through 64 years. Past Golden Globe Awards winners are as follows:
| annual | winner | Nationality at the time of award | Club at the time of award |
| Ballon d'Or (1956–2009) | |||
| In 1956 | Stanley Matthews | England | Blackpool |
| In 1957 | Alfredo di Stéfano | Spain | Real madrid |
| In 1958 | Raymond Copa | France | Real madrid |
| In 1959 | Alfredo di Stéfano | Spain | Real madrid |
| In 1960 | Luis Suarez | Spain | Barcelona |
| In 1961 | Omar Sivori | Italy | Juventus |
| In 1962 | Joseph Masopst | Czechoslovakia | Prague Duquera |
| In 1963 | Lev Yassin | USSR | Dynamo Moscow |
| In 1964 | Dennis Law | Scotland | Manchester United |
| In 1965 | Eusebio | Portugal | Benfica |
| In 1966 | Bobby Charlton | England | Manchester United |
| In 1967 | Florian Albert | Hungary | Ferencvaros |
| In 1968 | George Best | Northern Ireland | Manchester United |
| In 1969 | Gianni Rivera | Italy | Ac milan |
| In 1970 | Gad Mueller | Federal Republic of Germany | Bayern Munich |
| In 1971 | John Cruyff | Netherlands | Ajax |
| In 1972 | Franz Beckenbauer | Federal Republic of Germany | Bayern Munich |
| In 1973 | John Cruyff | Netherlands | Barcelona |
| In 1974 | John Cruyff | Netherlands | Barcelona |
| In 1975 | Oleg Brochin | USSR | Dynamo Kiev |
| In 1976 | Franz Beckenbauer | Federal Republic of Germany | Bayern Munich |
| In 1977 | Alain Simonson | Denmark | Mönchengladbach |
| In 1978 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburg |
| In 1979 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburg |
| In 1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | Federal Republic of Germany | Bayern Munich |
| In 1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | Federal Republic of Germany | Bayern Munich |
| In 1982 | Paul Rossi | Italy | Juventus |
| In 1983 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| In 1984 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| In 1985 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| In 1986 | Igor Bielanov | USSR | Dynamo Kiev |
| In 1987 | Luther Gullit | Netherlands | Ac milan |
| In 1988 | Marko van Basten | Netherlands | Ac milan |
| In 1989 | Marko van Basten | Netherlands | Ac milan |
| In 1990 | Lothar Mateus | Germany | Inter |
| In 1991 | Jean-Pierre Papán | France | Marseilles |
| In 1992 | Marko van Basten | Netherlands | Ac milan |
| In 1993 | Roberto Baggio | Italy | Juventus |
| In 1994 | Christo Stoichkov | Bulgaria | Barcelona |
| In 1995 | George Weah | Liberia | Ac milan |
| In 1996 | Matthias Summerle | Germany | Dortmund |
| In 1997 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Inter |
| In 1998 | Zineddin Zidane | France | Juventus |
| In 1999 | Rivaldo | Brazil | Barcelona |
| Year 2000 | Luis Figo | Portugal | Real madrid |
| In 2001 | Michael Owen | England | Liverpool |
| In 2002 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Real madrid |
| In 2003 | Pavel Nedved | Czech Republic | Juventus |
| In 2004 | Andrei Shevchenko | Ukraine | Ac milan |
| In 2005 | Ronaldinho | Brazil | Barcelona |
| In 2006 | Fabio Cannavaro | Italy | Real madrid |
| In 2007 | Kaka | Brazil | Ac milan |
| In 2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Manchester United |
| In 2009 | Leo Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010-2015) | |||
| In 2010 | Leo Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| In 2011 | Leo Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| In 2012 | Leo Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| In 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real madrid |
| In 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real madrid |
| In 2015 | Leo Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| Ballon d'Or (2016—) | |||
| In 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real madrid |
| In 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real madrid |
| In 2018 | Luka Modric | Croatia | Real madrid |
| In 2019 | Leo Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| In 2020 | Cancelled due to the pandemic | ||
| In 2021 | Leo Messi | Argentina | Paris Saint-Germain |
Will Benzema lift the cup this year? Will Messi make a comeback next year or will the Merro era come to an end?