In this article, we share all there is to know about the Ballon d'Or, the 2022 ceremony, how to go around betting on the Ballon d'Or winner, as well as a list of the leading betting sites to help you on your quest to placing an informed bet.
LATEST UPDATE – Ballon d'Or 2022 : The ceremony will take place on the 17th of October 2022. Last year, Lionel Messi won the men's Ballon d'Or, making it a record seventh time, while the favourite Alexia Putellas took home the women's award.
- 2022 Ballon d’Or Odds & Favourites
- When Was the Ballon d'Or 2021 Ceremony?
- Mens Ballon d'Or 2021 Shortlist
- Women Ballon d'Or 2021 Shortlist
- Men’s Ballon d'Or 2021 Favourite Players – Year Recap
- What Happened With the 2020 Ballon d’Or?
- Best Players Never To Win a Ballon d'Or
- Ballon d'Or Records by Player, Team and Nation
- Previous Ballon d'Or Award Winners – Male & Female
- All-Time Golden Ball Winner Dream Team
- Ballon d'Or FAQs
- ThePuntersPage Final Say
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2022 Ballon d’Or Odds & Favourites
The odds for the 2022 Ballon d'Or odds have started to be released, but everything may still change, especially since the trophy is awarded for what a player has achieved throughout the whole year. Many expected to the ceremony will be held after the 2022 World Cup finished but it is not the case. The 2022 Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place on the 17th of October 2022, less than 11 months since the last ceremony took place.
As things stood before the beginning of the 2022/23 domestic leagues, the following were the favourites to win the prestigious title:
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Karim Benzema
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Kylian Mbappé
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Mohamed Salah
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Sadio Mane
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Robert Lewandowski
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Kevin De Bruyne
As you can see, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are not within the top favourites list. The pre-season drama for Cristiano doesn't really put him in the best of positions before the start of the season. Lionel Messi, on the other hand, was given the man of the match award for the French Super Cup match as he added yet another trophy to his glorious cabinet. He is now just one trophy away from equalling ex-teammate Dani Alves as the most decorated football player of all time.
We will be updating this section as we get closer to the date of the ceremony and the shortlists are out.
When Was the Ballon d'Or 2021 Ceremony?
The much-awaited 2021 Ballon d’Or Ceremony took place on 29th November 2021 in Paris. Apart from the ones mentioned above, there were other football betting sites which geared up to receive bets as the date got closer.
Mens Ballon d'Or 2021 Shortlist
The 30-man shortlist of nominees was revealed on 8th October 2021 by France Football, and the list consisted of the following players (by surname A-Z):
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1.
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG)
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2.
Defenders: Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Ruben Dias (Man City), Simon Kjaer (AC Milan) (PSG)
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3.
Midfielders: Nicoló Barella (Inter Milan), Kevin De Bruyne (Man City), Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd), Jorginho (Chelsea), N’Golo Kante (Chelsea), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Pedri (Barcelona)
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4.
Forwards: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Phil Foden (Man City), Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund), Harry Kane (Tottenham),Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea), Riyad Mahrez (Man City), Lautaro Martinez (Inter), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Lionel Messi (PSG), Gerard Moreno (Villarreal), Neymar (PSG), Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid)
Women Ballon d'Or 2021 Shortlist
France Football also published the 20-women shortlist nominees for the Women’s Ballon d’Or, which can be seen below:
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1.
Goalkeepers: Christiane Endler (Olympique Lyon), Sandra Panos (Barcelona)
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2.
Defenders: Magadlena Eriksson (Chelsea), Ashley Lawrence (PSG), Irene Paredes (Barcelona), Wendie Renard (Olympique Lyon)
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3.
Midfielders: Jessie Fleming (Chelsea), Lieke Martens (Barcelona), Samantha Mewis (NC Courage), Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
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4.
Forwards: Stina Blackstenius (BK Hacken), Kadidiatou Diani (PSG), Pernille Harder (Chelsea), Marie-Antoinette Katoto (PSG), Sam Kerr (Chelsea), Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Vivienne Miedema (Arsenal), Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns), Ellen White (Manchester City)
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This award has not been around for a long time, in fact, this is the 3rd time this award will be given out. The last Ballon d'Or was awarded to USA’s Megan Rapinoe after having also won the Golden Boot in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Golden Ball as best player of the tournament.
Alexia Putellas was the favourite to get her hands on the award, and she did. She was named UEFA Women's Player of the Year and also formed part of the Champions League Squad of the Season. The Spanish midfielder played an important part in Barcelona’s Champions League win, also scoring a penalty in the final against Chelsea.
The player who was most likely to challenge Putellas was Australian forward Sam Kerr, who scored 6 in 6 matches during the Olympics, taking her country all the way to the semi-finals. The striker was also named in the PFA’s WSL Team of the Year.
Men’s Ballon d'Or 2021 Favourite Players – Year Recap
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Robert Lewandowski It was very difficult to make a case against Lewy getting the award in 2021, when he continued his impressive run of form as he finished the 2020/21 season as the top scorer of the Bundesliga. In doing so, he broke Gerd Müller’s 49-year Bundesliga record with 41 goals in just 29 matches! He also set a Bayern Munich record by scoring in 19 consecutive appearances. Speaking of 19, he also became the first player to win 19 consecutive Champions League matches (he did not play when Bayern lost 2-3 to PSG in April 2021). Apart from the above, he was also named the player of the tournament during the FIFA Club World Cup, which Bayern Munich won in February 2021. He also started off the 2021/22 season in the same manner, scoring 10 goals in the first 9 matches.
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Lionel Messi During the 2020/21 season, Lionel Messi set the record for the most consecutive seasons in which a particular player scored more than 30 club goals – 13 breaking Gerd Muller’s previous record of 12. He also won the Pichichi trophy for ending the season as the top scorer in the La Liga tournament (for the 5th consecutive time). As per the rest of his career, throughout 2021, Lionel Messi dribbled past players with ease – he completed the most successful dribbles across all competitions, making his way around the opposition an impressive 228 times. That’s over 40 times more than Alphonso Davies (182), Kylian Mbappe (172), Adama Traore (171) and Neymar (158). More importantly, in 2021, Messi carried his country, Argentina, to their first trophy since 1993, with a Copa América win over Brazil in the final. He was named the player of the tournament and the joint top scorer alongside Colombia’s Luis Diaz. Apart from that, he was involved in 9 out of the 12 goals scored by Argentina – that’s 75%! This was also Messi’s first international trophy with his home country. After a recent hat-trick against Bolivia, he also became South America’s top male international goalscorer, surpassing the great Pelé. And, to top it all off – despite his arguably slow start at Paris Saint-Germain – he went on to win the 2021 Ballon d'Or, making this his seventh such award.
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Jorginho The Italian midfielder won the EURO 2020 with his national team in the summer of 2021. He played all matches, scoring the decisive penalty in the semi-final against Spain after having played the regista role to perfection during the game. In the final against England, he failed his penalty, but luckily, Gigi Donnarumma (another player on the Ballon d’Or list) saved Bukayo Saka’s penalty to give Italy the trophy. Jorginho also won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea in the 2020/21 season, playing in all the matches of the tournament (except one due to suspension) as well as the UEFA Super Cup. His role alongside N'golo Kante proved pivotal for his club to win the prestigious trophy, and he also won the UEFA Super Cup with Chelsea. Thomas Tuchel considers him untouchable, and we can see why. In August 2021, he was awarded the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award.
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Karim Benzema After Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid, Benzema stepped right into the limelight and went from potentially being left out of the starting 11 to being the club’s main man. During the 2020/21 La Liga season, Benzema scored more than a third of Real Madrid’s goals in the league – 17 more than anyone else in the club. He also started the 2021/22 season with 9 goals in the first 10 matches, and is considered to be one of the world’s most in-form forwards. Not only has he stepped up when his club needed him the most, but he has also done so for his country. Benzema had not played for France since late 2015, but coach Didier Deschamps included him in the 26-man squad for the EURO 2020 – and he did not disappoint. Despite competition from Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé, and Olivier Giroud for the spots up front, Benzema started all the 4 matches France played and scored a brace against Portugal, and another against Switzerland, taking his tally to 4 goals in as many matches. Benzema also featured in the UEFA Nations League semi-final and final, scoring on both occasions as France won the Nations League trophy, making him the most decorated French player in history with 27 titles won.
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N’golo Kante The hard-working midfielder might not have many goal and assist statistics to back up his performances, but he played a crucial part in Chelsea’s Champions League win. He was presented the Man of the Match award in 4 out of 7 of the knock-out matches played, 3 of them being in the two semi-final legs against Real Madrid and the final against Manchester City! In 2021, he also won the UEFA Super Cup with Chelsea.
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Cristiano Ronaldo Since returning to Manchester United, the Portuguese superstar has not been impressing fans much. However, one cannot forget that Ronaldo won the Serie A Capocannoniere award last season with 29 goals in 33 matches played. After fearing he would join city rivals Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the Reds managed to bring him back to Old Trafford. They will be hoping he finds his goalscoring form (as well as his chances for the award) as soon as possible.
What Happened With the 2020 Ballon d’Or?
The 2020 edition of the Ballon d’Or was cancelled as a result of the pandemic's impact on world football. A few national leagues were cut short, while the EURO2020 was postponed to 2021. Therefore, France Football decided that the award ceremony should be cancelled, and the award was not given out.
However, the Best FIFA Men’s Player award still took place that year. The top 3 contenders were Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo. Robert Lewandowksi ended up winning the title with 52 votes ahead of Ronaldo (38) and Messi (35).
The 2020 award could have easily been Robert Lewandowski’s too, after a majestic year in which he helped Bayern Munich secure a historic six trophies during the 2019/20 season: the Bundesliga, DFB Cup, UEFA Champions League, DFL Supercup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup later on in February 2021.
He also became the only player to win the continental treble as a goalscorer in every competition, scoring more goals in each competition than he played games! 34 goals in 31 Bundesliga games, 6 goals in 5 Cup matches, and 15 goals in 10 Champions League matches. Not only did he finish the season as the Champions League top scorer, but he was also the joint top assist man alongside Angel Di Maria with 6 assists.
Best Players Never To Win a Ballon d'Or
The Ballon d’Or is received for an outstanding performance in a particular year, but it is only awarded to one person per year. What that means is that, if a particular player such as Xavi had some 5 or 6 great years but was never the one to reach the headlines, he never ended up getting the award.
Here we will be sharing a list of the best players to have never won a Ballon d’Or. We won’t be mentioning Pelé and Maradona, who won honorary Ballons d’Or, since they could not receive the award in their playing days as they were not European players.
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Xavi Hernandez – Won the EURO 2008 (and got Player of the Tournament), EURO 2012, UEFA Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup in 2009 in 2011, FIFA World Cup in 2010 all in the span of 4 years, made it to the top 3 nominees in 2009, 2010, and 2011, but always finished 3rd.
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Andres Iniesta – Won the EURO 2008, EURO 2012 (and won Player of the Tournament and UEFA Best Player in Europe), UEFA Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup in 2009 in 2011, FIFA World Cup in 2010 all in the span of 4 years, made it to the top 3 nominees in 2010 and 2012, but finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.
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Gianluigi Buffon – He got close to winning the title in 2006 after the FIFA World Cup win but came second after Fabio Cannavaro. Buffon was named the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year 12 times, and won awards such as the UEFA Club Goalkeeper and Footballer of the Year in 2002/03, Best European Goalkeeper 3 times. He was also named IFFHS’s Best Goalkeeper 5 times and won the IFFHS Best Goalkeeper of the Decade, 21st Century and Past 25 Years, thanks to his performances for Juventus, Parma and Italy.
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Dennis Bergkamp – The Ballon d’Or runner-up in 1992 and 1993, Bergkamp came third in the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1993 and 1997. He won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year in 1997/98. Bergkamp was also was IFFHS’s World Top Goal Scorer in 1992. Recently, when a journalist asked Thierry Henry (who played with the likes of Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho) who the best player he ever played with was, he chose Dennis Bergkamp.
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Paolo Maldini – It’s always difficult to get a defender to win the Ballon d’Or, but Paolo Maldini at his prime could have easily been one. He only managed to make it third place in the 1994 and 2003 Ballon d’Or ceremonies. Apart from a huge number of awards in Italy, he also won the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1994. Had he won the World Cup with Italy that year, he would have surely stood more of a chance against Stoichkov and Baggio for the 1994 Ballon d’Or.
The above are just a few we wish to highlight. There are naturally numerous others, namely: Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo, David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Samuel Eto’o, Manuel Neuer, Iker Casillas, Roberto Carlos, Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Alessandro Del Piero, Steven Gerrard, Jurgen Klinsmann, Eden Hazard, Franck Ribery, Oliver Kahn, Francesco Totti, and Philipp Lahm.
Ballon d'Or Records by Player, Team and Nation
Bar 2020, the Ballon d’Or award has been given out every year since 1956, with some great players winning the prestigious trophy more than once. Below, we have listed a few more records related to the Ballon d’Or winners.
Players To Win the Most Ballons D’Or
7 – Lionel Messi – 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021
5 – Cristiano Ronaldo – 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017
3 – Michel Platini – 1983, 1984, 1985
3 – Johan Cruyff – 1971, 1973, 1974
3 – Marco Van Basten – 1988, 1989, 1992
Players With the Most Consecutive Ballons d’Or Awards
4 – Lionel Messi – between 2009 and 2012
3 – Michel Platini – between 1983 and 1985
2 – Cristiano Ronaldo – 2013 to 2014 and 2016 to 2017
2 – Marco Van Basten – 1988 to 1989
2 – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – 1980 to 1981
2 – Kevin Keegan – 1978 to 1979
2 – Johan Cruyff – 1973 to 1974
Top 5 Clubs With the Most Players To Win the Ballon d’Or
| Club | Players | Wins | Players Who Won the Ballon d’Or |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid | 7 | 11 | Cristiano Ronaldo (4), Alfredo Di Stefano (2), Luka Modric, Fabio Cannavaro, Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Raymond Kopa |
| Barcelona | 6 | 12 | Lionel Messi (6), Johan Cruyff (2), Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Hristo Stoichkov, Luis Suarez |
| Juventus | 6 | 8 | Michel Platini (3), Pavel Nedved, Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Baggio, Paolo Rossi, Omar Sivori |
| Milan | 6 | 8 | Marco Van Basten (3), Kaka, Andriy Shevchenko, George Weah, Ruud Gullit, Gianni Rivera |
| Manchester United | 4 | 4 | Cristiano Ronaldo, George Best, Bobby Charlton, Denis Law |
Clubs To Have All Top 3 Ballon d’Or Nominees in a Year
Barcelona in 2010 – Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi
Milan in 1989 – Marco Van Basten, Franco Baresi, Frank Rijkaard
Milan in 1988 – Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard
Top 5 Countries With the Most Different Ballon d’Or Winners
| Country | Player | Wins | Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 5 | 7 | Matthias Sammer, Lothar Matthäus, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (2), Franz Beckenbauer (2), Gerd Müller |
| Italy | 5 | 5 | Fabio Cannavaro, Roberto Baggio, Paolo Rossi, Gianni Rivera, Omar Sivori |
| France | 4 | 6 | Zinedine Zidane, Jean-Pierre Papin, Michel Platini 3), Raymond Kopa |
| Brazil | 4 | 5 | Kaka, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo (2), Rivaldo |
| England | 4 | 5 | Michael Owen, Kevin Keegan (2), Bobby Charlton, Stanley Matthews |
Previous Ballon d'Or Award Winners – Male & Female
Men’s Ballon d’Or – 10 Most Recent Winners
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up | 3rd Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Lionel Messi | Robert Lewandowski | Jorginho |
| 2019 | Lionel Messi | Virgil Van Dijk | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2018 | Luka Modric | Cristiano Ronaldo | Antoine Griezmann |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Lionel Messi | Neymar |
| 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Lionel Messi | Antoine Griezmann |
| 2015 | Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo | Neymar |
| 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Lionel Messi | Manuel Neuer |
| 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Lionel Messi | Franck Ribery |
| 2012 | Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo | Andres Iniesta |
| 2011 | Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo | Xavi |
Women’s Ballon d’Or
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up | 3rd Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Alexia Putellas | Jennifer Hermoso | Sam Kerr |
| 2019 | Megan Rapinoe | Lucy Bronze | Alex Morgan |
| 2018 | Ada Hegerberg | Pernille Harder | Dzsenifer Marozsán |
All-Time Golden Ball Winner Dream Team
In October 2020, the France Football magazine conducted an internet poll to decide who should form part of the All-Time Dream Team. After gathering all the top contenders, a team of around 140 correspondents chose the first 11 – a second and third team were also added. The below is the first team:
Formation is 3-2-4-1 with Lev Yashin in goal. Maldini, Beckenbauer and Cafu in a back 3. Lothar Matthaus and Xavi in the holding midfield position. Pele and Maradona wide to the left and right respectively, and Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi as wingers, with Brazil’s Ronaldo as the centre forward.
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Ballon d'Or FAQs
Out of all the betting sites we’ve checked, we suggest using Paddy Power.
Technically, Ballon d’Or translates as ‘Golden Ball' from French. However, the Golden Ball is also an award in itself – it is given to the best player in a FIFA World Cup, and is different from the Golden Shoe, which is awarded to the World Cup Top Scorer.
Lionel Messi has won this award the most times, with 7 in total. Cristiano Ronaldo has won it 5 times.
As it stands, the current favourite for the 2022 Ballon d'Or is Karim Benzema. Other potential contenders for the top 3 are Kylian Mbappé, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane Robert Lewandowski, and Kevin De Bruyne. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could potentially both miss out on being one of the top 3 nominees this year.
The upcoming Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place on the 17th of October 2022 – that is a whole month before any FIFA World Cup 2022 matches are played.
ThePuntersPage Final Say
The Ballon d’Or award always brings along a lot of talk about who the best player in the world is at the moment, and also a lot of ballon d'or betting. After years of witnessing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo breaking record after record, it was refreshing to see someone like Robert Lewandowski setting records of his own following so much time playing at the highest levels. However, in the end, the superstar Lionel Messi went on to nab his seventh Ballon d'Or, adding another reason to a list of many why he is considered to be the greatest football player in the history of the sport.