The nominees for the 2022 Ballon d'Or, a prestigious award given to best-performing football players, were announced on Friday, as fans eagerly wait for the winner, which will be presented on Oct. 17.
Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi was omitted from the 30-man list of nominees for the prestigious award on Friday for the first time since 2005.
Paris Saint-Germain's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi reacts during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Real Madrid at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris.
The list features six Manchester City players: Phil Foden, Joao Cancelo, De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, and new signing Haaland (formerly Borussia Dortmund).
Liverpool also has six nominees: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, Fabinho, Darwin Nunez, Salah and Virgil van Dijk.
Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo during a match, Aug. 7, 2022.
Mané, who helped Senegal win its first African Cup before leaving Liverpool for Bayern Munich, is included, as is Bayern teammate Joshua Kimmich.
Benzema leads a group of six Real Madrid players. The others are Casemiro, Thibaut Courtois, Luka Modric, Vinicius Junior and new signing Antonio Rudiger.
The other nominated players are Sébastien Haller (Ajax), Rafael Leao and Mike Maignan (both of AC Milan), Christopher Nkunku (Leipzig), and Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus).
Manchester City's Norwegian striker Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring their second goal during the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and Manchester City at the London Stadium, in London on Aug. 7, 2022
The award will be presented on Oct. 17.
Among changes announced in March, the award is now being awarded based on performances over the course of a regular European season, rather than a calendar year. A reduction in the number of voters was among other changes, with the goal of streamlining the process. Voters also will no longer consider a player’s career accomplishments.
Liverpool's Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez (R) celebrates with Liverpool's Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah (L) after scoring their first goal during the English Premier League football match between Fulham and Liverpool at Craven Cottage in London on Aug. 6, 2022.
France Football magazine has given out the award to men every year since 1956 and to women each year since 2018, though both were canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.
Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski controls the ball during the Joan Gamper trophy soccer match between FC Barcelona and Pumas Unam at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. (AP Photo)
