"He's a bottler", "Good lord, this award is finished" - Manchester City superstar gets brutally trolled for finishing 12th in 2022 Ballon d'Or

Manchester City forward Riyad Mahrez finished 12th in the 2022 Ballon d'Or rankings after a trophy-laden 2021-22 season with his club. However, fans have expressed their surprise at his position.

Mahrez, 31, featured heavily for Pep Guardiola's side last campaign, helping them lift the Premier League title by just one point ahead of Liverpool. He scored 24 goals and contributed nine assists in 47 appearances across competitions, including 31 starts.

However, he failed to guide his country to glory in this year's Africa Cup of Nations. Algeria were eliminated in the group stage of the tournament, registering just one point in three games.

Here are a few fan reactions after Mahrez's 2022 Ballon d'Or finish:

Mahrez, who plies his trade on the right flank, has made the 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist for the fourth time in his career.

A technical dribbler with a lethal left foot, the Algerian finished seventh in the 2016 edition after an impressive Premier League-winning season with Leicester City. He finished tenth in 2019 after a domestic quadruple with City in his debut campaign. Mahrez finished 20th last year after helping the Cityzens lift the Premier League and guiding them to the UEFA Champions League final.

Meanwhile, five of his club teammates also secured a top-30 finish in the 2022 Ballon d'Or rankings. Kevin De Bruyne achieved the highest finish of third. Erling Haaland finished tenth, while Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva shared the 22nd spot. Joao Cancelo shared the 25th spot with five other players.

Manchester City were also named the 'Club of the Year'.

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Pep Guardiola names Manchester City's Premier League title challengers

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has named four teams that could challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title this season. He told reporters (via Manchester Evening News):

"Arsenal are already there, many years they weren't there. Mikel (Arteta) changed not just the team; he changed the club. In fact is a contender; Tottenham will be there, Chelsea and Liverpool as well."

Furthermore, Guardiola added that Liverpool are genuine challengers despite their underwhelming start to the season. He added:

"What happened in the previous seasons, Liverpool, Jurgen (Klopp) might not see it now, but I always see them as a contender. If two months are left (in the season), I'd say maybe too late. (But it's) just one quarter of the season, still lots of games to play; many things can happen."

City slumped to their first defeat of the campaign at Liverpool, losing 1-0 on Sunday (October 16). They are second in the Premier League table, four points behind league leaders Arsenal (27).