Ballon d’Or 2022 nominees list: Messi, Neymar left off the 30-man lineup, Benzema, Ronaldo, Mane, Kane made the cut

On October 17, 2022, the world will enjoy this year’s Ballon d’Or and the event’s nominees list has some surprising names like Rafael Leao, Luis Diaz, and Darwin Nunez for the first time in their careers.

However, Ballon d’Or 2022 nominees list does not include Lionel Messi, marking the first time in 17 years that the record-setting seven-time champion has not been considered along with another superstar Neymar Jr.

Ballon d’Or 2022 nominees list: Who is nominated and why are they nominated?

Despite having won seven Ballon D’or, the Argentine international, who played for Paris Saint-Germain last season, was left off the list despite having 11 goals in 34 appearances and winning the Ligue One at the end of last season.

On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo successfully got the inclusion on the 30 men Ballon d’Or 2022 nominees list after playing superbly with Manchester United and becoming their highest Premier League scorer in last season.

CR7’s remarkable achievements may not be enough to win the ultimate award because his ex-teammate Karim Benzema is now the favorite to win this prestigious award after winning the Pichichi trophy, UEFA Champions League, and La Liga with Real Madrid last season.

After Real Madrid’s Super Cup victory against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday night, Karim Benzema said Cristiano Ronaldo leaving the Liga team allowed him to step up his game.

Vinicius Junior, who won the Champions League final match, Luka Modric, and Casemiro are all included in the top 30 players for the top honor, along with Thibaut Courtois, who is featured on the Yachine Trophy shortlist for the best goalkeeper.

Now, let’s look at the full list of Ballon D’or nominees:

• Thibaut Courtois (Real Madird)
• Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
• Rafael Leao (AC Milan)
• Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
• Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
• Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
• Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
• Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
• Luis Diaz (Liverpool)
• Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
• Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
• Casemiro (Real Madrid)
• Heung-Min Son (Tottenham)
• Fabinho (Liverpool)
• Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
• Mike Maignan (AC Milan)
• Harry Kane (Tottenham)
• Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)
• Phil Foden (Manchester City)
• Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich)
• Sebastien Haller (Borussia Dortmund)
• Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
• Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)
• Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
• Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
• Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus)
• Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
• Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
• Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
• Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)