With the winner of the 2022 Ballon d'Or award set to be crowned this month, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is adamant striker Karim Benzema will be handed the prestigious prize.
The award ceremony is set to take place on Monday, 17 October, at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
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This year's gala will take a new format as it no longer considers the player's performances over a calendar year, but instead over the course of a season, in this case the 2021/22 campaign.
Current Golden Ball holder Lionel Messi, who has won it a record seven times, is not among the final nominees for this year's prize after a disappointing debut season with Paris Saint-Germain – this is the first time he is not among those nominated since 2005.
His Les Parisiens teammates Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are part of the 30-man shortlist for the accolade, though, with the latter believed to be among the frontrunners for the prize, having registered 39 goals and 26 assists in 46 games for PSG in the 2021/22 season.
With Bayern Munich star Sadio Mane and FC Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski also thought to be leading candidates to clinch the honour, Los Blancos president Perez is adamant the 2022 Ballon d'Or is destined for Real talisman Benzema after a career-best campaign at the Santiago Bernabeu.
"Benzema has already received the prize of the best player of the year from UEFA and in the coming days, he will be awarded with the Ballon d'Or," the chief said during Real's latest general assembly, according to Diario AS.
"Nobody doubts it."
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The Frenchman finished last season with 44 goals and 15 assists in just 46 games for the Spanish giants, helping his side clinch the UEFA Champions League and LaLiga titles, and also helped France claim their maiden UEFA Nations League trophy in October 2021.
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