Welcome to the 2022 Ballon d’Or ceremony wrap up where we discuss everything that went down tonight at the Théâtre Châtelet in Paris. The Ballon d’Or ceremony is always a big event in the footballing world and tonight was no different!
Kopa Trophy:
The Kopa Trophy, named after former French footballer Raymond Kopa, goes to the best-performing player aged 21 or under. Last year it was Barcelona midfielder Pedri who took home the award, but this year it was his 18 year-old teammate Gavi who received the trophy. Gavi was a mainstay in Barcelona’s starting line-up during Xavi’s first season back at the club as manager. The young Spaniard possesses a mix of speed, trickery & tenacity as he zips around the midfield and we can’t wait to see what he achieves in his career.
Ballon d’Or Feminin:
For the second year in a row Alexia Putellas was named the best women’s footballer in the world as she accepted the Ballon d’Or Feminin. The Barca midfielder is still recovering from an ACL injury that saw her miss the 2022 Women’s Euro tournament with Spain but nonetheless Putellas was able to beat out the likes of Beth Mead, Sam Kerr, Aitana Bonmati, Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Alexandra Popp & Vivianne Miedema. Back in March, Putellas captained Barcelona in a HISTORIC Champions League match against Real Madrid which was hosted inside the Camp Nou. The match was played in front of a record 91,553 fans and accordingly, Putellas was able to get her name on the score sheet.
Yachine Trophy:
The Yachine trophy is awarded to the best performing goalkeeper of the previous year. Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) beat out Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Man City), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea) & Mike Maignan (AC Milan) taking home the award. Courtois had an amazing 2021/22 season as Real Madrid completed the double, winning La Liga & the Champions League. The GK was also named man of the match in the UCL final against Liverpool with a total of nine saves in the match!
Ballon d’Or:
There was only ever going to be one winner tonight… The star of tonight’s show was Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema who took home the most prestigious award of the evening! Benzema enjoyed a stellar 2021/22 season, leading Real Madrid to La Liga & Champions League glory almost single-handedly. Throughout the Champions League campaign, Benzema had some magical moments: THAT comeback against Mbappe-Messi-Neymar & PSG, a HUGE brace against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the quarter-finals, and of course two absolutely monster performances against Manchester City in a toughly contested semi-final.
The Frenchman was the heavy favourite to win the award and the result comes as no surprise. Benzema becomes only the second player NOT named Messi or Ronaldo to win the Ballon d’Or in the last 14 years, joining his Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric.
