This Monday, October 17, 2022 will be held, starting at 8 pm, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the 66th Ballon d’Or ceremony. An event that rewards the best player of the moment. An emblematic figure of football will present the ceremony: the former Ivorian international Didier Drogba. Thirty players, including four Africans, are in the running. Africa has its chances.
This Monday is a special day for lovers of the round ball. The (name of) 2022 Ballon d’Or will be known tonight! Just a few hours before the winner’s announcement, four African footballers, including one, pose as serious candidates. Even if the chances of an African winning are minimal, it costs us nothing to hope. And, as we know, football is never an exact science. It would be really nice to see the name of another African next to Liberian Georges Weah, the only African holder of this prestigious trophy since 1995.
While we wait, the name of the winner of the Ballon d’Or. The Italian sports newspaper comes, La Gazzetta dello Sport, has just made a resounding statement, but how sweet for us Africans. He leaked the names of footballers in the top 5: Karim Benzema, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané, Vinicius Junior and Robert Lewandowski. Nice surprise: Sadio Mané is in the race. Big surprise: Kylian Mbappe’s name is not on it.
This year, four Africans are in the running: Sadio Mané (Senegal), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Mohamed Salah (Egypt) and Sébastien Haller (Ivory Coast), far from the fields since the start of the cancer championships. Last I heard, he was in remission. Perfect! The Africans, during the past season and for the one that begins, have made exceptional performances. In particular, the Senegalese forward of Bayern Munich, Sadio Mané, whose debut in the Bavarian club is huge. We can now say, in view of the past season, that the Senegalese can claim the podium, even if the French press, oral, already leans towards Madrid’s Karim Benzema.
Sadio Mané won almost everything this year. With an impressive stat: (1) CAN winner, (2) qualified for the World Cup, (3) winner of the two English cups, (4) Champions League finalist and 2nd in the Premier League. Ranked 4th in 2019, he has all his chances this year. If we go on this base, he would be neck and neck with his former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah, 7th in 2022.
