Ballon d’Or 2022 winners, rankings, final awards results as Karim Benzema, Alexia Putellas take top prize

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The wait is over. Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema won his first career Ballon d’Or on Monday, October 17, becoming the second oldest player to win the award at age 34 and the oldest since Englishman Stanley Matthews who won the very first award in 1956 at age 41.

The Frenchman was rewarded for a magical 2021/22 season in which his team won both Spain’s La Liga and the UEFA Champions League and he finished as the top scorer in both competitions. He also won the UEFA Nations League with France.

For many it was a foregone conclusion that Benzema would win the award as best player in the world given there was realistically no other player who came close to his achievements. He totaled 44 goals for Real Madrid and another six for France in 2021/22. 

Despite sitting out the last few months due to a knee injury, Barcelona star Alexia Putellas claimed her second consecutive women’s Ballon d’Or fighting back tears in her acceptance speech. She admitted she didn’t think the Ballon d’Or would have been possible after missing out on the Euros with Spain.

Another Barcelona player took the Under-21 Player of the Year as Gavi succeeded teammate Pedri for the award crowning the best young player. Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was named goalkeeper of the Year, taking the Yashin Trophy.

Manchester City claimed the Club of the Year with six total Ballon d’Or finalists, while Sadio Mane was recognized with the first Socrates Award honoring gestures of solidarity by players. 

In the wake of Lionel Messi’s controversial Ballon d’Or victory in 2021, the 2022 edition of the award saw several changes made to the voting process, including a reduction in the pool of media voters and modifications to the criteria used to judge players.  For the first time finalists were judged on the European club season (August to July) and not based on the calendar year. Also, career achievements were no longer a factor to be weighed by voters.

MORE: The final rankings for the 2021 Ballon d’Or awards

What are the Ballon d’Or awards?

There are a total of seven awards that will be handed out on Monday. The Gerd Muller Trophy and Club of the Year were awarded for the first time in 2021.

  • Men’s Ballon d’Or (Player of the Year)
  • Women’s Ballon d’Or (Player of the Year): Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
  • Kopa Trophy (Best Under-21 men’s player): Gavi (Barcelona)
  • Yashin Trophy (Best men’s goalkeeper): Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
  • Gerd Muller Trophy (best striker): Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
  • Socrates Award (recognizing player acts of solidarity): Sadio Mane (Bayern)
  • Club of the Year (club with most Ballon d’Or nominees): Manchester City

Ballon d’Or final results (Men)

The ranking reveal started well before the formal ceremony kicks off. They leave the top 10 for the formal ceremony.

Here are the 4 players that are left to be ranked: Benzema, De Bruyne, Lewandowski, and Mane.

Final
Rank		 Name Position Club National Team
1. Karim Benzema FW Real Madrid France
2. Sadio Mane FW Liverpool /
Bayern Munich		 Senegal
3. Kevin De Bruyne MF Man City Belgium
4. Robert Lewandowski FW Bayern Munich /
Barcelona		 Poland
5. Mohamed Salah FW Liverpool Egypt
6. Kylian Mbappe FW PSG France
7. Thibaut Courtois GK Real Madrid Belgium
8. Vinicius Jr. FW Real Madrid Brazil
9. Luka Modric MF Real Madrid Croatia
10. Erling Haaland FW Man City Norway
11. Son Heung-min FW Tottenham South Korea
12. Riyad Mahrez FW Man City Algeria
13. Sebastien Haller FW Ajax /
B. Dortmund		 Ivory Coast
14. Fabinho MF Liverpool Brazil
  Rafael Leao FW AC Milan Portugal
16. Virgil van Dijk DF Liverpool Netherlands
17. Casemiro MF Real Madrid Brazil
  Dusan Vlahovic FW Juventus Serbia
  Luis Diaz FW Liverpool Colombia
20. Cristiano Ronaldo FW Man United Portugal
21. Harry Kane FW Tottenham England
22. Trent Alexander-Arnold DF Liverpool England
  Phil Foden FW Man City England
  Bernardo Silva MF Man City Portugal
25. Joshua Kimmich MF Bayern Munich Germany
  Mike Maignan GK AC Milan France
  Antonio Rudiger DF Chelsea /
Real Madrid		 Germany
  Joao Cancelo DF Man City Portugal
  Christopher Nkunku FW RB Leipzig France
  Darwin Nunez  FW Benfica /
Liverpool		 Uruguay

2022 Ballon d’Or final results (Women)

Final
Rank		 Name Position Club National Team
1. Alexia Putellas MF Barcelona Spain
2. Beth Mead FW Arsenal England
3. Sam Kerr FW Chelsea Australia
4. Lena Oberdorf MF VfL Wolfsburg Germany
5. Aitana Bonmati MF Barcelona Spain
6. Alexandra Popp FW VfL Wolfsburg Germany
7. Ada Hegerberg FW Lyon Norway
8. Wendie Renard DF Lyon France
9. Catarina Macario MF/FW Lyon USA
10. Lucy Bronze DF Manchester City
(now Barcelona)		 England
11. Vivianne Miedema FW Arsenal Netherlands
12. Christiane Endler GK Lyon Chile
13. Alex Morgan FW Orlando Pride
(now San Diego Wave)		 USA
14; Selma Bacha DF Lyon France
15. Millie Bright DF Chelsea England
16. Marie-Antoinette Katoto FW PSG France
17. Asisat Oshoala FW Barcelona Nigeria
18. Trinity Rodman FW Washington Spirit USA
19. Fridolina Rolfo FW Barcelona Sweden
20. Kadidiatou Diani FW PSG France

2022 Kopa Trophy final rankings (Under-21)

Final
Rank		 Name Position Club National Team
1. Gavi MF Barcelona Spain
2. Eduardo Camavinga MF Real Madrid France
3. Jamal Musiala MF Bayern Munich Germany
4. Jude Bellingham MF Borussia Dortmund England
5. Nuno Mendes DF PSG Portugal
6. Josko Gvardiol DF RB Leipzig Croatia
  Ryan Gravernberch MF Ajax Netherlands
8. Bukayo Saka FW Arsenal England
9. Karim Adeyemi FW Borussia Dortmund Germany
10. Florian Wirtz MF Bayer Leverkusen Germany

2022 Yashin Trophy final rankings (Goalkeeper)

Final
Rank		 Name Position Club National Team
1. Thibaut Courtois GK Real Madrid Belgium
2. Alisson Becker GK Liverpool Brazil
3. Ederson GK Manchester City Brazil
4. Edouard Mendy GK Chelsea Senegal
5. Mike Maignan GK AC Milan France
6. Kevin Trapp GK Eintracht Frankfurt Germany
7. Manuel Neuer GK Bayern Munich Germany
8. Jan Oblak GK Atletico Madrid Slovenia
9. Yassine Bounou GK Sevilla Morocco
10. Hugo Lloris GK Tottenham Hotspur France

Ballon d’Or live updates

All times ET

4:10 p.m.: Benzema invited his mom and his son on the stage and he lauded both Zidane and Ronaldo O Fenomeno for the inspiration they gave him. It was a mature acceptance speech and he’s had months to prepare for this moment.

3:55 p.m.: Karim Benzema wins it. It’s Zidane who makes the announcement. And it’s Zidane who hands him the trophy.

Benzema calls Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo O Fenomeno his idols, and he says he never gave up even when he was out of the French team for a period. There’s an excellent video that follows.

3:54 p.m.: Former Ballon d’Or winner and French World Cup legend Zinedine Zidane will be presenting the trophy.

3:52 p.m.: After the Manchester City acceptance speech featuring Kevin De Bruyne, Ederson, Ferran Soriano and Txiki Beguiristain, this event is about to close with the men’s Ballon d’Or.

3:45 p.m.: Former Ballon d’Or winner Luis Figo is on the stage to award the club of the year. Real Madrid came in third place, Liverpool finished on top of them in second place despite losing to them in the Champions League final.

And the winner is Manchester City after winning the Premier League and reaching the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. In addition the club had six nominees for the Ballon d’Or, including Lucy Bronze for the women’s award.

3:35 p.m.: They’re taking another short break and running through the highlights of all the men’s players from No. 30 to No. 5.

3:30 p.m.: It’s time for the Yashin Trophy for Goalkeeper of the Year in 2021/22. Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller, who is battling testicular cancer, presents the award.

And no surprise it’s Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois who wins it. He was the Man of the Match in the UEFA Champions League final.

3:28 p.m.: Ballon d’Or (men). We get the next three players in the ranking: Thibaut Courtois (No. 7), Kylian Mbappe (No. 6), and Mohamed Salah (No. 5).

3:26 p.m.: After a Lewandowski highlight reel, Didier Drogba puts him on the spot by asking him about Erling Haaland. (Was that really necessary?)

“I know that the new generation is also coming, but I am still here and I haven’t said the last word yet.”

3:20 p.m.: It’s Robert Lewandowski who wins it for the second season in a row as the world’s best striker in the 2021/22 season. He scored 57 total goals in that 2021/22 campaign (50 for Bayern and 7 for Poland).

Of course, he broke Gerd Muller’s single-season Bundesliga record two seasons ago. He’s emotional as he accepts the award, and thanks his ex-teammates at Bayern Munich.

3:17 p.m.: After a pause in the show, it’s time for the Gerd Muller Award to the top men’s striker. Muller’s wife and daughter are on the stage to present the trophy.

3:01 p.m.: Alexia Putellas wins the Ballon d’Or again. Second year in a row for the Barcelona and Spain star.

“On July 5 when I suffered my injury I didn’t think this would be possible,” Putellas said. “I hope the next time I speak it will be on the field.”

2:56 p.m.: Women’s Ballon d’Or. It’s time to crown the best women’s player on the planet. The five finalists: Bonmati, Mead, Kerr, Oberdorf and Putellas.

But before the award, 2004 Ballon d’Or winner and Ukrainian star Andriy Shevchenko, who will present the award, offered the following message followed by a lengthy applause.

“It’s been a very difficult moment since the war started for all Ukrainian people. I’m so proud of how my country defends and fights for their freedom,” Shevchenko said. “It’s very important to remember the war is still going, but most important to stay beside of Ukraine and help.”

2:53 p.m.: Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane wins it. The nicest person in all of football and Senegal’s national team captain earns it. He’s known for all the good he does back home in Africa, building schools and hospitals in his home country.

“I’m sometimes shy to talk about it but I’m happy to do what I can for our people and to make things better,” Mane says up no the stage. And Didier Drogba urges players to follow in Mane’s footsteps and make a difference.

2:48 p.m.: Time for the Socrates Trophy. Socrates’s brother Rai, who played for PSG in France and Brazil, is on the stage and will present this trophy for a show of solidarity by a player. It’s the first year that this award is being presented.

2:45 p.m.: Men’s Ballon d’Or: We find out that Erling Haaland (No. 10), Luka Modric (No. 9) and Vinicius Jr. (No. 8) are the next on the list.

2:43 p.m.: Barcelona’s Gavi wins it. Two years in a row that a Barcelona player takes the Kopa Trophy. And he ends his acceptance speech with a “Vizca Barca.”

2:39 p.m.: The Kopa Trophy is up first. Ronaldo O Fenomeno and last year’s winner Pedri are going to present this award. Remember that Pedri didn’t make the cut although he was still age eligible.

2:36 p.m.: Didier Drogba and Sandy Heribert are on the stage. Everyone is still getting over Bocelli’s performance. Give everyone a few minutes.

They reminded everyone of the seven awards up for grabs. And now there’s a video montage of the final 10 men’s players who have yet to be ranked. We’ll find out soon enough.

2:30 p.m.: The formal ceremony is underway with Andrea Bocelli singing Nessun Dorma. Class. We’re getting the feels already.

2:26 p.m.: The Ballon d’Or makes the grandest entrance of them all:

2:17 p.m.: The Barcelona team mobilise as a unit. Players from both men and women teams together.

2:00 p.m.: Tupac fan Karim Benzema paying homage:

1:52 p.m.: Zinedine Zidane in the house. It’d be a nice touch if he were the one to present the trophy to Karim Benzema. Zizou was the last French player to win the honor in 1998.

1:37 p.m.: A look at the hosts of tonight’s ceremony of the 66th Ballon d’Or. It’s football legend Didier Drogba (who never won a Ballon d’Or) and French journalist Sandy Heribert. The duo have hosted the last three ceremonies (2019, 2021, and now 2022).

Even if you don’t speak French, you’ll appreciate the behind-the-scenes look with the two hosts.

1:36 p.m.: More arrivals. It’s time for Bayern’s Sadio Mane and RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku. And Kevin De Bruyne brought the family.

1:30 p.m.: No one will complain about watching a Karim Benzema hype video. It’s his day after all. 

1:17 p.m.: Great to see Andriy Shevchenko repping Ukraine at the Ballon d’Or. He won the trophy in 2004.

1:14 p.m.: Players in tuxes. Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and the Three Amigos from Barcelona: Gavi, Lewa, and Pedri.

1:05 p.m.: Red carpet action begins in rainy Paris. Here’s USWNT’s Trinity Rodman, Dortmund forward Sebastien Haller, and Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.

12:50 p.m.: Tottenham’s Son Heung-min takes the No. 11 spot, which means the Top 10 will include (in alphabetical order): Benzema, Courtois, De Bruyne, Haaland, Lewandowski, Mane, Mbappe, Modric, Salah, and Vinicius Jr.

12:28 p.m.: How about Rafael Leao (No. 14) ranked ahead of his Portuguese teammate Cristiano Ronaldo (No. 20). The team achievements may have influenced this ranking since Leao’s AC Milan won the Italian title.

The other eyebrow-raiser in this latest batch is Riyad Mahrez (No. 12) ranked way ahead of teammate Bernardo Silva (No. 12), who was so good (and important) for City last season. But production matters, and Mahrez found a way to rack up 24 goals and 9 assists in 2021/22, while Silva had 13 goals / 7 assists.

11:52 a.m.: Cristiano Ronaldo at No. 20 is a bit of a surprise. He had a solid goal-scoring season, but according to the new criteria the fact that his team didn’t win anything may have hurt his chances to rank higher.

11:34 a.m.: Another five players and a handful of Englishmen on the list including Harry Kane, Phil Foden, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

11:10 a.m.: They’ve dropped the first six names — these all tied for last place. And if the Liverpool vs. Man City this weekend wasn’t enough to show you the talented Darwin Nunez needs plenty more work, this ranking makes it clear.

Mike Maignan and Christopher Nkunku being part of the bottom six is a bit of a surprise given their respective seasons (and that of their clubs). But the competition is fierce when you’re among the top 30 players in the world.

11:00 a.m.: Interesting how serendipitous the last few months have been for Frenchman Karim Benzema. Winning the Champions League in Paris, and coming back to the city for the Ballon d’Or and potentially having Zinedine Zidane — France’s last Ballon d’Or winner in 1998 — hand it to him.

10:56 a.m.: Still no update on ranking reveal. But TopMercato.com is reporting that Karim Benzema is due an automatic one-year contract extension if he were to win the Ballon d’Or. Apparently the same happened with Luka Modric in 2018.

9:16 a.m.: More potential winners traveling to Paris? Beth Mead is a possible winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or, while Bukayo Saka is a contender for the Kopa trophy as best Under-21 player.

8:45 a.m.: A reminder that the first names on the men’s Ballon d’Or ranking drop at 10:30 a.m. ET (3:30 p.m. UK). They’ll start with No. 30 and work their way up to No. 11. They’ll leave the Top 10 for the ceremony.

8:37 a.m.: Hope they left space in that plane for the trophies that are likely coming home. Karim Benzema is the popular pick to claim the Ballon d’Or, while Thibaut Courtois should win the Yashin trophy as best goalkeeper.

ESPN’s Gustavo Hofman says Vinicius Jr was also set to travel at one point, but Real Madrid “opted not to release more players outside of the winners.” 

Who will win Ballon d’Or?

With pre-ceremony odds of -2500 (1/25 or 1.04), Karim Benzema is practically a shoo-in to win the 2022 Ballon d’Or.  

The following odds come courtesy of Canada-based Sports Interaction, who hung the following numbers in the lead-up to the event. It’s nonetheless interesting to see the names of the three players who have the next best odds behind Benzema.

Player Club (2021/22) Nationality Odds
Karim Benzema Real Madrid France -2500
Sadio Mane Liverpool Senegal +1049
Mohamed Salah Liverpool Egypt +1223
Kylian Mbappe PSG France +1748
Kevin de Bruyne Man City Belgium +2184
Virgil van Dijk Liverpool Netherlands +2621
Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich Poland +2621
Cristiano Ronaldo Man United Portugal +3495

MORE: Which Real Madrid players have won the Ballon d’Or?

How does voting for Ballon d’Or work?

Voting for the Ballon d’Or was revamped following the controversial victory by Lionel Messi over Robert Lewandowski in the 2021 edition.

The goal of award organizers France Football was to present more clearly defined voting criteria and make voting more selective in order that the final award does not turn into a popularity contest. 

How finalists are determined

Awards organizers France Football generated the list of candidates for each award from three sources: 

  • France Football and L’Equipe journalists
  • Former great and Ballon d’Or ambassador Didier Drogba
  • Media members whose 2021 voting ballot matched the final rankings

New Ballon d’Or voting process for 2022

There were a handful of changes to the voting process introduced for 2022. 

Media voters are now limited to a single media member from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings for men, and the top 50 nations from women’s rankings. The belief is that this will ensure a more knowledgeable voter base given the importance of football in the country and the likelihood matches from around the world are available.

Voting criteria were updated to eliminate consideration for overall career performance and instead focus on three main factors:

  1. Individual performance in previous season from August-July (no longer by calendar year);
  2. Team success during the previous season;
  3. Player behavior and fair play during the season in consideration.

What time is Ballon d’Or ceremony

The formal ceremony for the 66th edition of the Ballon d’Or will kick off at 8:30 p.m. local time (14:30 ET / 19:30 BST) at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France. But the red carpet coverage will kick off roughly 30 minutes before.

Award organizers France Football will begin unveiling the men’s Ballon d’Or rankings four hours before beginning at 4:30 p.m. Paris time, as a way of building up the buzz for the event. They will leave the top 10 reveal for the formal ceremony.

Where to watch Ballon d’Or 2022

Only a few select countries, including Australia (SBS) and the USA (Paramount+), will have a local broadcaster carrying the show. The rest of the world can tune in to the live stream provided by France Football via the channels of French sister publication L’Equipe.

  Date Time TV channel Streaming
Australia Tue, Oct. 18 05:30 AEST SBS SBS On Demand
Canada Mon, Oct. 17 14:30 ET —  DAZN.com, DAZN YouTube
India Tue, Oct. 18 00:00 IST Sony TEN 2 SonyLIV app/site
Malaysia Tue, Oct. 18 02:30 MT — L’Equipe site, YouTube
New Zealand Tue, Oct. 18 07:30 NZST — L’Equipe site, YouTube
Singapore Tue, Oct. 18 02:30 SST — L’Equipe site, YouTube
UK Mon, Oct. 17 19:30 BST — L’Equipe site, YouTube
USA Mon, Oct. 17 14:30 ET — Paramount+

Ballon d’Or live stream

Outside of those countries with a dedicated broadcaster, the rest can tune in via the YouTube channel and web site of France Football’s sister publication L’Equipe.

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