The Ballon D'or nominees this year are ones that I can actually agree with which I have found to be a rare occurrence. For one they don't seem to have just gone for the biggest names in the game, there is a nice mix of names up for nomination this year and a few players are finally getting the recognition they deserve after years of being overlooked. I really don't know how a winner can be picked from this list though as each player has had a brilliant season for their club as well as doing pretty well for their country too. So here is what we think about those nominations...
Selma Bacha
French left back Bacha is only 21 years old but it is safe to say she is already up there as one of the best female left backs in the game currently. She plays her club football at Lyon where she has already won the Champions League 4 times which to be able to say that at 21 years old must be fantastic. She is a key player for Lyon and is already showing us what she is capable of on the international scene too. It is scary to thing with how young she is just how much potential we still haven't seen from her.
Fridolina Rolfo
If you saw my Euro journey over on social media you would have seen I was closely following Sweden and went to a lot of their games, one of the reasons for picking Sweden was due to Rolfo. For many years she has been a player I have kept a close eye on as her quality on the ball is amazing. Sweden didn't have the best Euro campaign this year but she has slotted into life at Barcelona well and is a joy to watch.
Alexandra Popp
If Popp hadn't got injured would the Euros final have gone differently? I honestly think it would have done. She had an absolutely fantastic tournament and really showed just what she could bring to the Germany side after unfortunately suffering injuries in the build up to previous major tournaments. Popp is a player that always seems to be in the right place at the right time to cause trouble for the opposition and she definitely deserves the nomination this year.
Aitana Bonmati
Another Barcelona star who has made it onto the list. Now I will be honest I don't really know too much about Bonmati on a club level but she did impress me during the Euros. The midfielder covered plenty of distance in the 4 games she played and stood out as a player for me to keep an eye on in the future. To be honest her performance along with a few other Spanish players has actually made me want to watch Spanish football a whole lot more.
Vivianne Miedema
I think we need to get used to seeing Miedema on these nomination lists as she is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Miedema had another fantastic season at Arsenal scoring some brilliant goals once more and she also had a pretty good campaign with the Netherlands once again. I think if she hadn't caught Covid and suffered for the later stages of Euro 2022 she would have helped the Netherlands push further than they got. Miedema is one of those players that I love to watch and I don't think that will change anytime soon.
Wendie Renard
Renard's name always seems to be floating around when it comes to award nominations and I am not surprised as she is always an integral part of the Lyon side and has helped them win plenty of trophies. I will be honest here though during the Euros she didn't really impress me. She didn't seem to be the Renard we are all used to seeing. If she makes it into the top 3 this year I would definitely be surprised as a lot of other names on this list have had a much better year.
Lucy Bronze
I still stand by that Bronze is the best right back in the world at the moment. There just seems to be no stopping her. When she returned to City after her injury spell results started changing for the better showing us just how influential she was for the team. Then we have the Euros where she put in some fantastic performances to help England go on to win their first major trophy. Bronze is finally getting the recognition she deserves and I can't see these nominations slowing down any time soon.
Alex Morgan
In previous years I will admit I haven't agreed with Alex Morgan receiving all the nominations she has had as I believed she really hadn't been playing as one of the greatest in the world which we expected from her year after year. This season though she has definitely earnt this nomination as she has had a fantastic season with the San Diego Wave in their inaugural NWSL season. We really have seen her get back to her best this season and I think she has definitely earnt her place on this list for 2022. Let's hope she can keep it up in the run up to the 2023 World Cup.
Sam Kerr
Sam Kerr is a name that is going to be another name I think we need to get used to seeing on the nominations list as she is showing no signs of slowing down when it comes to putting in brilliant performances and scoring great goals for both club and country. Kerr really has cemented herself as a household name with her talent on the pitch and she definitely has once again earnt this nomination, should she win this year? I don't think so but it is nice to see her on the list.
Beth Mead
It is so good to see Mead finally getting the recognition she deserves. The Arsenal player has had one of her best seasons and finished off the summer as top scorer in the Euros which she won with the Lionesses. After being left out of the Olympic squad it is safe to say Mead has really proved to everyone just what she is capable of and why she should be on the England squad list every time it is announced. She really made herself a household name in the Euros and we have already seen her carry on where she left off at Arsenal, hopefully this year is only just the beginning of Mead finally getting the recognition she so rightly deserves.
Christiane Endler
Endler really came to my attention in 2019 when she had a fantastic World Cup campaign with Chile. Since then she has gone on to sign for Lyon and helped them claim yet another Champions League title. Endler is certainly a fantastic 'keeper as she has proved over and over again, would she have been nominated if she wasn't at Lyon? I'm not too sure.
Asisat Oshoala
Oh look another Barcelona player to be nominated. To be honest though I can't say I am too surprised as Barcelona have had an absolutely fantastic few years recently and a lot of their players have really stood out, even to those who probably don't get to watch as much of the Spanish league as they would like to. Oshoala is definitely one of those players for me, when I have seen her play she has been one of the standout players for me and I think she is another player who could be picking up plenty more nominations in the future.
Lena Oberdorf
Oberdorf is one of my favourite players from this summer's Euros, the German Wolfsburg player is only 20 years old but she has already shown us what a key player she is whether it is at club or country level. It is scary to think just how much talent she already possesses and I think it is safe to say we haven't even seen her full potential yet, what is she going to be like in 5 years time? She really does have the makings of being one of the best players in the world and I am glad she has been nominated for the Ballon D'or this year.
Millie Bright
Finally, after years of being overlooked Millie Bright is finally getting the recognition she deserves in terms of big awards nominations. Bright is in my opinion one of the greatest centre backs in the game at the moment so to see that others are finally seeing just how good she is week in week out it is great. Bright had a fantastic season at Chelsea once again but she also had a fantastic international campaign with England. I am hoping this is only the beginning of Millie finally getting the notice she so rightly deserves.
Kadidiatou Diani
I will be honest I had not heard much about Diani prior to the Euros as to be honest I don't watch as much of the French game as I probably should, I tend to just jump in and out of it when I have some free time. I watch a lot of the French national team games through the Euros though and the player that stood out the most every time was Diani. The forward was making some fantastic runs to get in a good position for her team and she was actually one of my favourite French players throughout the whole time they were in the Euros. I think her performances could even sway me towards watching more French football.
Trinity Rodman
At the age of 18 Rodman became the youngest drafted player in NWSL history and now at 20 she has shown us just how good she actually is. She was a part of the championship winning Washington Spirit side and at 20 I believe we have still got a lot more to see of her, we haven't seen fully what she is capable of yet but I am sure it will be long until we do see this. She really has been a standout player in the NWSL and she has started to make a name for herself on the international stage too. I have a feeling this is only the beginning for Rodman and we will be seeing her name appearing on nomination lists a lot in the future.
Catarina Macario
At 23 Macario is no stranger to being nominated for awards as she won plenty during her time in college in the States. Since then she has gone on to play for Champions League winners Lyon and is making a name for herself over in the French league. She has grabbed herself plenty of goals at both club and national level really showing everyone just what she is capable of. It is great to see her nominated for the Ballon D'or as she is really starting to put herself on everyone's radar but I can't see her being in the top 5 this year.
Ada Hegerberg
Is Hegerberg one of the best players in the world? She definitely is and she is a name 99% of women's football fans know. Should she be on the nominations list this year? In my opinion I don't think she should be, yes Lyon had another great season but I don't think she played as well as we are used to seeing from her and I think other women's players have had better seasons. Then you have her performances for Norway, she just didn't look like the Hegerberg we are used to seeing. I really do think she is a fantastic player but I don't think she has been at her best recently.
Alexia Putellas
Putellas seems to be winning all the awards at the moment and I have to say she is a player who has really impressed me recently however, I don't think she should be up there as one of the main contenders for this years Ballon D'or. Yes she has had a fantastic season for Barcelona but other people on this list have performed week in week out throughout the summer too. Putellas was going to be a big standout for the Euros before her injury and yes Spain might have done much better if she was playing but at the end of the day the unfortunate injury ruled her out of the tournament. If she plays like she did before her injury upon her return then yes, I could agree with her being a main contender next year but this year I think it should go to someone else.
Marie Katoto
Katoto had a great season with PSG last season and she started the Euros very strongly until her knee injury that has ruled her out of the game for a while. Katoto has become one of the key attacking options for France and after she picked up her injury I think it was clear they had pinned a lot of hopes on Katoto as once that injury took place they didn't seem the same, they were a threat but not as much as previous. I had only seen highlights of Katoto playing before the Euros and I was impressed but watch her for France impressed me even more. I just hope she can bounce back from injury as I feel we could be seeing more nominations for her in the future.
So there you go that is what we think to this years Ballon D'or nominations, I think after looking at this list our top 3 picks would be Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema and Lena Oberdorf but honestly out of those 3 I don't think I could pick an overall winner. Each year the competition is getting a lot harder to pick as the standard of the game continues to grow rapidly. I am glad I aren't on the judging panel as it is definitely going to be hard to narrow down a winner out of these fantastic players. I know I am looking forward to watching the ceremony later on this month to see who gets crowned the winner.
Who would be your 2022 Ballon D'or winner?
No comments