- The 2022 Ballon d’Or awards was conducted on Monday October 17 2022 in Paris
- Karim Benzema was crowned the best of the best but Premier League players also featured
- We take a look at how Premier League players and clubs featured in the 2022 Ballon d’Or awards
Premier League players and teams of course ought to have featured in the 2022 Ballon d’Or awards after a staggering 2021/22 season.
Manchester City have been crowned Club of the Year at the 2022 Ballon d’Or awards, following an exceptional season taking the mantle from fellow Premier League side Chelsea who bagged the award last year.
The Cityzens starred again domestically in the men’s game, seeing off Liverpool in a hard fought title battle to lift their sixth Premier League crown, while also reaching the semi-final of the Champions League – knocked out by eventual Champions Real Madrid.
Manchester City were crowned the club of the year in the 2022 Ballon d’Or awards in Paris. | PHOTO: Manchester City |
City’s women’s team overcame a tough start to the WSL season to finish third in the league, while also reaching the FA Cup final and winning the Women’s League Cup.
The likes of Lucy Bronze – now a Barcelona women player – Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Ederson, Joao Cancelo and Phil Foden were all at the ceremony in Paris, nominated for awards on the night – a testament to the club’s strong showings throughout the previous season.
Real Madrid overcame City in a dramatic Champions League semi-final to deny them of reaching the top of the European mountain once again – after falling to Chelsea in the finals the previous year, but Pep Guardiola’s side otherwise looked dominant as ever and racked up 93 points in the Premier League to clinch the title.
On the night, Kevin De Bruyne finished 3rd in the Ballon d’Or standings – the highest of any City player – while Bronze also finished 10th in the women’s standings, but now plays for Barcelona after moving last summer.
Former Liverpool forward – now in Bayern Munich Sadio Mane finished second in the 2022 Ballon d’Or, ranking behind only Karim Benzema in the 66th edition of the award.
Mane enjoyed another prolific campaign with Liverpool throughout the 2021/22 season as they finished Premier League runners up and Champions League finalists, in what proved to be his last season at Anfield.
Former Liverpool man and Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane was handed the Socrates trophy at the 2022 Ballon d’Or awards and also finished second in the best men’s player after an outstanding season with Liverpool in the 2021/22 campaign. | PHOTO: Courtesy |
The Senegal star – who also lifted the Africa Cup of Nations at the beginning of the year – joined Bayern Munich in the summer after finishing up the 2021/22 campaign with 23 goals and five assists in all competitions for the Reds.
As well as placing second, Mane won the Socrates award on the night, in recognition for his outstanding humanitarian work away from the pitch. He has become synonymous with incredible charity work in his home country for building schools and hospitals in his home village.
Mane scored in both legs of Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final clash with Villarreal to help them to the final, setting up a rematch of their 2018 final with Real Madrid.
He also scored and assisted for Senegal in the AFCON semi-final against Burkina Faso, captaining his nation to victory at the tournament.
In what was a tough season for Liverpool and Mane as they competed on four fronts for silverware, the 30-year-old finished particularly strong and proved his worth as a centre forward as well as a winger, demonstrating his outstanding ability once again.
Other Premier League or former Premier League players who were included in the 30 man list include: Liverpool star forward Mohamed Salah, who finished 5th in the list, Manchester City summer signing Erling Haaland finished 1oth, Tottenham Hotspur winger Son Heung Min- 11th.
Others were:
Riyad Mahrez, Manchester City – 12th
Fabinho, Liverpool – 14th
Virgil van Dijk, Liverpoiol – 16th
Casemiro, Manchester United
Luis Diaz, Liverpool – 17th
Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United – 20th
Harry Kane, Tottenham Hostpur – 21st
You must be logged in to post a comment Login