Chelsea legend to present Ballon d'Or award this year - Reports

Chelsea legend Didier Drogba will present the Ballon d'Or award this year, according to the French news outlet Telefoot [via Madrid Zone].

The awards ceremony will be held in Paris, France, on Monday, with Real Madrid ace Karim Benzema widely touted to win.

Drogba was named the Ballon d'Or ambassador by France Football a year ago and will continue as the trophy presenter this year too.

Last year, he handed out the prize to Lionel Messi, just as he had back in 2019. But there will be a new recipient of the Golden Ball this time with the Argentine not being nominated.

He was recently asked about his favorite to win the award, while speaking to RTL, to which the Ivorian legend said (via Africa Top Sports):

“I can talk about [Erling] Haaland, [Kevin] De Bruyne, Vinicius. Who else? I’m going to forget some and it might offend some people, but there are quite a few players who can claim this Ballon [d’Or], hence the beauty of this competition."

Drogba didn't mention Benzema by name, but said picking out one player would be 'disrespectful' to the other nominees. He added:

“I have a favorite, but I think saying it might be disrespectful to others as the presenter of the ceremony, I prefer to keep it to myself.”

---

Benzema the favorite to win the Ballon d'Or

Real Madrid star Karim Benzema is widely touted as the favorite to win the 2022 Ballon d'Or for his blistering exploits last season.

The Frenchman scored 44 goals from 46 games in all competitions to help Los Blancos to a La Liga and Champions League double, while finishing as the top-scorer in both competitions.

Statistically, it was the best campaign of his career as Benzema took his game to a new level with ruthless consistency and efficiency in front of the net.

He also stepped up in big games for his side, especially in Europe, scoring in their knockout ties against PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City, including hat-tricks against the first two.

Although Robert Lewandowski managed to score more goals overall with 50, Benzema's performances in the big games, coupled with the European success, make him the absolute favorite to win the 2022 Ballon d'Or.