Ballon d'Or 2022 Top 30 list might be hinting at end of Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi era, here's why

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo (Image Source: Twitter)

Karim Benzema created history on October 17, Monday, after winning the 2022 Ballon d’Or award on the back of his consistent run with Real Madrid. His teammate and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois won the Yashin Award for proving his prowess with the gloves. However, for the past decade and a half, it was legendary players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who dominated the list and remained in the Top 10.

With regard to the current year, the Portugal giant ended up in Rank 20 while Messi was not a part of the Top 30 in the prestigious list. Concerning the top 5, apart from the Frenchman, Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich),  Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona), and Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) completed the top 5 in the list. Parenthetically, Messi won the Ballon d’Or award in the year 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2021 and finished second 5 times.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, won the award in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017 and ended up in second place 6 times. Fans, after Benzema clinched the award, said that the football world might be witnessing an end of an era. A reputed sports page on Instagram was no exception to it as they expressed their disappointment on the same as well.

 

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I'm really proud: Benzema

The magnate, after winning the award, said that he was elated and added that he had put in a lot of hard work to achieve the feat. Further, Benzema said that it was important for him to stay focussed after going through a lot in recent times.

“Age is just a number for me. People play until their later years now and I still have this burning desire. It is this drive that has kept me going and never allowed me to let up. I'm really proud, it's a lot of work and a kid's dream come true,” Benzema said after winning the award. “There were much more difficult moments for me, when I was not selected (with France) and I did not give up. I am really proud of my career. This is the Golden Ball of the people,” he added further.

As it stands, the football world might be witnessing the end of the Messi-Ronaldo era that dominated for almost more than two decades. However, the emergence of youngsters would also mark the dawn of something new and from the current lot, there are many players who might go on to make a name for themselves.