“He is someone who embodies the Ballon d'Or well” – France Football chief reserves special praise for Lionel Messi as countdown starts for 2022 award

France Football editor-in-chief Pascal Ferré has lavished praise on Lionel Messi ahead of the 2022 Ballon d’Or ceremony.

The Argentine missed out on a nomination for the first time in 15 years but remains the most successful player in history with seven awards.

Ferré had some nice things to say about Messi, who he believes is synonymous with the award. In an interview with EFE Agency, Ferré said (via MARCA):

"His record is going to be very difficult to match, he is someone who embodies the Ballon d'Or well. Because he combines individual and collective performance, but also a certain idea of the show and a long longevity."

Messi won the award for the first time in 2009 for his heroics in Barcelona's treble. It started a run of four Ballons d'Or in a row, which is another record.

Cristiano Ronaldo won the trophy for the next two years. Messi, however, reclaimed the prize in 2015 for a fifth time, and then again in 2019 and 2021.

With Cristiano Ronaldo struggling this year and unlikely to win the prize again given his age, Messi's record of seven Golden Balls is set to stand for a long time.

The 2022 Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held on Monday (17 October).

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Benzema the favorite to win this year's Ballon d'Or

Speaking of this year's Ballon d'Or, Karim Benzema is the favorite after a stellar last season with club and country.

With 44 goals in 46 games, the Frenchman helped Real Madrid win the La Liga and the Champions League. He also won the Golden Boot in both competitions.

In October 2021, he also lifted the UEFA Nations League trophy with France. Benzema scored in the semifinals and the final.

Benzema enjoyed the best run of his career last season. He also stepped up in big games for his teams, making him a firm favorite to win the coveted trophy this year, which would be his first.

Last year's runner-up Robert Lewandowski is also in the race once more following another 50-goal campaign. However, his chances look slim given Bayern Munich's poor results in Europe last season.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Real Madrid have the most representations out of the 30 nominees with six players each. Kylian Mbappe is the only PSG player to make the cut.

He scored 39 times in 46 games for PSG last season and stands a good chance of finishing inside the top three.