A new chapter in football has begun as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both fell out of the Ballon d’Or's top three for the first time since 2006. This marks a symbolic end to their absolute dominance of the world's most prestigious individual football prize. This year's winner is Karim Benzema of Real Madrid, making him only the fifth Frenchman to achieve this feat. At 34 years old, the striker is the oldest person to win the award since 1956's Stanley Matthews, securing the trophy after ten nominations.
For the first time in 16 years, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo missed out on making the top three of the Ballon d’Or standings. It is the end of an era that neither player finished in the top three of the prestigious award list. The Ballon d’Or is the award given to the best men’s soccer player of the year. This year’s award has been won by Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema. Benzema became only the fifth Frenchman to do so. The 34-year-old striker is the oldest winner of the Ballon d’Or since Stanley Matthews in 1956. Benzema won the Ballon d’Or on his tenth nomination.
Since 2005, the football landscape has been ruled by the rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo, who dominated the Ballon d’Or—an award voted on by 100 international journalists. Out of the last 13 editions, these two icons claimed 12 of them, with Real Madrid's Luka Modric being the only player to break their streak in 2018.
The recent ceremony in Paris highlighted a changing of the guard. Cristiano Ronaldo, despite his six previous wins, dropped to 20th place, marking his lowest standing in 17 years. As for Lionel Messi, the man who took home his seventh trophy last year, he wasn't even nominated for the 2022 edition—a first since 2005. With Benzema's victory, he becomes the first player other than Messi or Ronaldo to win the award since 2008.
Benzema's win was backed by a stellar 2021-22 campaign, where he netted 44 goals in 46 matches, propelling Real Madrid to titles in both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.
Benzema is the first Frenchman to hoist the trophy since the legendary Zinedine Zidane, who won it in 1998 after leading France to their first-ever World Cup victory. Adding to his achievements, Benzema also helped France win the UEFA Nations League last season. In the end, the veteran forward beat out top contenders like Robert Lewandowski, Kevin De Bruyne, and Sadio Mane to claim his first Golden Ball in Paris.
Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur made history this year by finishing 11th, the highest ranking ever achieved by an Asian player in the Ballon d’Or. The South Korean star continues to reach new heights after becoming the first Asian player to secure the Premier League Golden Boot last season with 23 goals.