In the early morning of Beijing time, the 2022 Ballon d'Or was announced, and French star Benzema won the title without suspense and won the Ballon d'Or for the first time in his career. The full 1-30 standings are released, Mane second, Kevin De Bruyne third, Lewandowski fourth. Son Heung-min is 11th, setting a new record for Asian players, Ronaldo is only ranked 20th, and Messi has already confirmed that he will not be in the top 30 list in the early official announcement.
Since Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or in 2008 with his Premier League Champions League double, Ronaldo Messi has won the Ballon d'Or five times in the decade from 2008 to 2017. In 2018, Modric entered the Hall of Fame as the runner-up of the Champions League and World Cup, breaking the myth of peerless double pride for the first time. In 2019, Messi led the team to the 26th La Liga title in the team's history at Barça, and he himself won the Champions League top scorer and the European Golden Boot award, and finally won the Golden Ball of the year. The 2020 Golden Globe Awards were cancelled due to the pandemic, and Lewandowski was the most vocal that year. In 2021, Messi won the Ballon d'Or for the seventh time with Argentina to the Intercontinental Cup title for the first time, and Lewandowski and Jorginho were second or third respectively, but it caused great controversy that year.
With the end of the 2022 Golden Globe Awards ceremony, the curtain of the suspense of the 2023 Golden Globe Awards competition has also officially opened. A new journey, and then a new departure. As Ronaldo Messi enters the end of his career, his performance in the past two years has been criticized by the outside world, and when the hero finally comes to an end, perhaps from 2023, the world-renowned Golden Globe competition will completely bid farewell to the era of peerless double pride, and since then the chaotic world of the heroes chasing the deer will begin.
But in addition to the regular statistics of players' performance in the league Champions League in the 2023 Ballon d'Or, as a World Cup year, the performance of players in Qatar will be the most important weight in the competition for the Ballon d'Or. Based on the overall level of the player's club and national team, as well as the player's recent personal comprehensive performance, he boldly speculates about the five popular candidates.
Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain/Brazil national team)
Strengths: Neymar has continued to play fairly well in the Paris squad this season, scoring 12 goals and assisting 9 goals in 16 games so far, ranking among the highest in statistical contribution above Kylian Mbappe and Messi. There is also a strong national team behind him, with Brazil being the favourites for this year's World Cup, ranking first in odds. The team has a number of star players including Vinicius, Casemiro, Marquinhos, Militão and Alison, and the strength is very strong. Brazil's other opponents in their group pose a largely unqualified threat, while Brazil, who are in the second half of the zone, may not face a top team before the semi-finals according to the schedule, and the World Cup is expected to be a good result.
Disadvantages: The competitiveness of the Ligue 1 is average, the team's performance in the Champions League is inconsistent, and Neymar is limited by the style of play in the club and cannot contribute too much statistical power. Its own technical characteristics are prone to injuries and lack of certain stability.
Messi (Paris Saint-Germain/Argentina national team)
Advantages: Just mentioned to bid farewell to the Mero era, why should Messi still be put in the candidacy, mainly considering the World Cup factor. Not surprisingly, this will also be Messi's last World Cup, which Messi has revealed to the media in a previous interview. Messi is currently a Maradona-like leader in China, the spiritual leader of the team, although the strength of the squad is not deep, but the performance in the competition is relatively stable, predicting that the probability of reaching the final four of this World Cup is higher. At club level, Messi has clearly adapted to the pace of the league this year and is a veritable attacking engine in the team. If you can lead the team to a good performance in the Champions League, it will be even more points.
Disadvantages: Similar to Neymar, the Ligue 1 is generally competitive, and the team's performance in the Champions League is not stable. In major matches, Messi's mental will is not strong enough, the national team is still lacking, and key players including Dybala and Di Maria are at risk of missing the World Cup, which also makes Argentina's trip to Qatar full of variables.
Benzema (Real Madrid/France national team)
Strengths: New Ballon d'Or winner, the spiritual leader of the team at club level, played steadily in playing time, and just led the team to win the national derby. At present, Real Madrid has completed the new and old succession, and rising stars such as Vinicius, Rodrigo, Valverde, Joan Armeni and Camavinga have basically settled in the main position, and they have all played well, and Real Madrid has a good chance of defending the title in the league. At Champions League level, the team is experienced, Carlo Ancelotti is a veritable Champions League expert, the team has been consistent in the Champions League and will remain a strong contender for this year. France are strong at national level and are favourites for the World Cup as the defending champions. Benzema also has a high goalscoring efficiency in limited playing time.
Disadvantages: Benzema has a number of injuries this season, his stats have declined compared to last season, and he is not an absolute workhorse at national team level. Despite their flamboyant squad, France's recent performance has been erratic and the squad is lacking in integrity, and the spell of the reigning World Cup champions will be a huge challenge.
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City/Belgium national team)
Strengths: Outstanding individual ability, one of the world's No. 1 midfielders today, the team's attacking engine. At the club level, although Manchester City does not occupy the top spot in the Premier League, its overall performance is absolutely dominant, and there is a high probability of winning the league title again. At the Champions League level, the team has reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for three consecutive seasons, and this year is the biggest favorite to win the Champions League, and after Haaland joined, Harder connected to kill all sides, which is an efficient combination that has terrified the entire European football scene. The group stage at the national team level is relatively relaxed, the knockout situation is likely to reach the quarterfinals, if you play well, you are expected to reach the final four, and once the national team results break through, Kevin De Bruyne is expected to occupy the top five of the Ballon d'Or.
Disadvantage: Non-forward players who occupy a natural disadvantage in the award competition. At the Champions League level, the team lacks a certain background, and the ability to resist pressure in strong matchups is slightly insufficient. At the national team level, there is a significant decline in paper strength, and it is very difficult to create myths in the World Cup.
Haaland (Manchester City/Norway national team)
Advantages: Today's top in world football, personal ability is very comprehensive, offensive efficiency is super strong, stable play, currently played for Manchester City 14 games scored 20 goals and assisted 3 goals, leading the Premier League scorers by a large margin, is expected to finally break the Premier League single-season goal record this season. Manchester City, home of the Champions League level, is the favourite, and joining Manchester City this season has boosted the team, with a World Cup gap and a persistent physical advantage, which may be the final piece of the team's puzzle for the Champions League title. Although it is a World Cup year, once the traditional strong teams and star players in the World Cup play abnormally, and this World Cup produces a dark horse champion, then the selection of the Golden Ball Award will be tilted towards the league and the individual performance of the players, and Haaland's overall performance will be the first key candidate for the jury.
Disadvantages: The Norwegian national team failed to reach the World Cup in Qatar and the players lacked the most important weight in the fight for the Ballon d'Or.
What are your thoughts on this year's Champions League, World Cup and next year's Ballon d'Or? Looking forward to seeing what you think in the comment area!