There are rumors everywhere, and we all want to see our favorite player win the biggest individual prize possible because it will be the culmination of the hard work for the entire year.

The Ballon d'Or 2022 is rapidly approaching, and the contenders are already eager to take home the honor given each year by "France Football."

The gala will once again take place on October 17 at the Théâtre Châtelet in Paris.

Since Kaka won the prestigious award in 2007, Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have shared all of the awards, with the exception of the one won by Luka Modric in 2018 and the one in 2020, when 'France Football' felt that the circumstances surrounding the winner's selection were unfair due to the pandemic.

The nominees will be revealed on Friday, 12 August. Although the final list of candidates is not yet known, all bets are on Karim Benzema as the new owner of the prestigious trophy.

With 44 goals and 15 assists, the Frenchman was instrumental in Real Madrid's 2021–22 campaign, which saw them win LaLiga Santander, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Champions League.

The Real Madrid striker has the best chance of being named the world's best footballer because one of the innovations of this year's Ballon d'Or is that journalists will vote based on the player's previous season's performance rather than what he displayed throughout the calendar year (as has been the case since the first edition).

In terms of goals and assists, the 2021–22 season was Karim Benzema's best season, surpassing those of rivals like Cristiano Ronaldo (24 goals and 3 assists), Leo Messi (11 goals and 15 assists), Robert Lewandowski (50 goals and 7 assists), and Luka Modric (3 goals and 12 assists).

Benzema would become Real Madrid's eighth Ballon d'Or winner and the club's 12th overall if he wins the award.

The list of previous Ballon d'Or winners of Real Madrid:

1. Alfredo Di Stefano
2. Raymond Kopa
3. Luis Figo
4. Ronaldo Nazario
5. Fabio Cannavaro
6. Cristiano Ronaldo
7. Luka Modric