Ballon d'Or 2022 finalists: Awards event slated for October 17 without Lionel Messi among nominees

The buildup to the Ballon d'Or 2022 officially kicked off August 12 with the announcement of the finalists for each of the four main awards.

Record seven-time winner Lionel Messi and his teammate Neymar were not on the list. The ceremony announcing the winners will be held October 17.

PSG's Argentine star controversially won the award last year, but he was not among the 30 players who will be up for the men's Ballon d'Or this time. Real Madrid's Karim Benzema is seen as the popular favorite given his exploits with his club in winning La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. The battle for the women's honor projects to be more open.

The renowned French publication France Football, which oversees the award and the voting process since 1956, unveiled the full list of names eligible to win the four main honors, including the two main Ballon d'Or trophies — top male and female players — along with the Kopa Trophy for best young men's player and the Yashin Trophy for best male goalkeeper.

The Ballon d'Or has undergone major changes after the controversial victory for Messi over Robert Lewandowski in 2021. In March 2022, France Football announced that the player performances from the season and not the calendar year would be taken into account. Also, media voters will now be limited to the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings for men and the top 50 nations from the women's rankings.

Additionally, voting criteria were updated to eliminate consideration for overall career performance and instead focus on three main factors:

1. Individual performance in previous season (no longer by calendar year)
2. Team success during the previous season
3. Player behavior and fair play during season in consideration

Below is a breakdown of the finalists for each 2022 award, together with their club affiliation and national team. 

MORE: Who will win the 2022 Ballon d'Or?

How are Ballon d'Or nominees selected?

According to France Football, the list of candidates is a fusion of lists from three main sources.

The candidates compiled by journalists from France Football and L'Equipe are combined with those from former great Didier Drogba, who is considered a Ballon d'Or ambassador.

In addition, the media voters from the last edition who submitted a ballot that matched the final vote had their list of nominees added to the mix as part of the new process: Vietnamese journalist Truong Anh Ngoc and New Zealand's Gordon Watson. Czech journalist Karolina Hlavackova had her list of finalists for the women's Ballon d'Or added to the list from France Football/L'Equipe.

When is Ballon d'Or 2022 ceremony?

After the controversy that surrounded the 2021 trophy, France Football made it clear that its 66th edition will be new with a "tighter voting panel and rules that are more clear."

That tighter media voting panel will be made up only of journalists from the top 100 nations in the men's FIFA world rankings for the men's awards, and media from the top 50 nations in the women's FIFA world rankings who will vote for the women's award.

The prestigious prizes will be handed out at a glitzy ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Oct. 17.

MORE: Voting totals that determined the 2021 Ballon d'Or rankings

2022 Ballon d'Or Finalists (Men)

There are 30 finalists and Messi being absent from the list is grabbing all the headlines. It's the first time since 2005 that he won't be up for a vote. He finished among the top three on 13 occasions between 2006 and 2021.

The new guidelines for the award — individual performance as the primary criteria and career success no longer a factor — are believed to be the main reason that Messi does not find himself among the top 30 players in the world. 

Messi won the Ballon d'Or last year for a record seventh time, and alongside fellow superstar Cristiano Ronaldo they have shared 12 of the last 13 Ballon d’Or trophies between them. Ronaldo did make cut in 2022 and now has 18 Ballon d'Or nominations compared to Messi's 15.

MORE: Why Messi's 2021 Ballon d'Or was a blatant snub of Lewandowski

2022 Ballon d'Or Finalists (Women)

There are 20 nominees for the women's award, including Chelsea's Australian star Sam Kerr, who became the first female player on the cover of EA Sports' FIFA 23. She joins three Americans, including Champions League winner Catarina Macario and rising star Trinity Rodman, who was a key figure in the Washington Spirit's NWSL title run.

Also on the list are three members from England's Euro 2022 winning side, including tournament MVP Beth Mead. Euro runners-up Germany have two representatives on the list.

Last year's winner, Alexia Putellas, is expected to make a run for the 2022 award after leading Barcelona to the Champions League final and La Liga title. Her missing out on the 2022 Euros due to a knee injury could hurt her chances.

MORE: Who will win the women's 2022 Ballon d'Or?

2022 Kopa Trophy finalists

Six players are back for a second consecutive year on the candidates list, but one glaring omission is last year's winner Pedri. He didn't have enough appearances to justify a place on the list, according to France Football. He played just 12 matches in La Liga and 10 in other club competitions.

It's worth noting that half the nominees ply their trade in the German Bundesliga.

2022 Yashin Trophy finalists

This trophy would seem to have Thibaut Courtois's name on it after he was the man of the match in the UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool.

There are five new faces on the list compared to last year: Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Yassine Bounou (Sevilla), 2019 winner Alisson (Liverpool), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), and Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt).

Maignan was credited as a key player in AC Milan's unexpected rise to Serie A title winners, while Kevin Trapp played an important role in Eintracht Frankfurt's Europa League triumph.