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The results for the 2022 Ballon D'or are in...

We have finally found out who has won the 2022 Ballon D'or and to be honest looking at the rankings overall I have to say there are a fair few questionable positions with some players definitely deserving a lot more in the final rankings of this year's awards. The talent in the women's game is improving massively year on year so I definitely feel sorry for those on the awards panels, narrowing down a top 20 each year must be getting more and more difficult, although a lot of players do seem to get nominated no matter what their season has been like, is it just because they are big names, and they are scared of leaving them out? Who knows. So here is how the ranking for the 2022 looks...


In 20th place we have French star Diani, who is a player that I didn't know much about until the Euro's in the summer. Diani really stood out as a key player for the French side and it looks like that is the case at PSG where she plays her club football, I have a feeling we will be seeing her name on a lot of awards nomination lists in the future if she keeps playing like she has in 2022. Rolfo is one of the big reasons I had Sweden as my second team this summer and why I started trying to watch more Barcelona games. Rolfo is a fantastic quality of player and to be honest I thought she would be a bit higher up in the rankings this time around, no doubt if she is nominated again next year we could see her positioning change and maybe be a bit higher than this year as she is a key player. 

Trinity Rodman is a USA player who definitely looks threatening. At just 20 years old I think we need to get used to seeing Rodman nominated for awards. She was the youngest drafted player at the age of 18 and her quality in play shows exactly why Washington Spirit made such a good decision drafting her, I do believe this is just the beginning for Rodman and her becoming a household name. Katoto had a brilliant season for PSG and really made a case for why she should be representing France in the summer's Euro's, then unfortunately during the tournament she found herself injured and on the long term injury list which I am hoping is she can bounce back from as at 23 year I think we are yet to see her full potential. Oshoala is a player that has been at a fair few clubs in her career however, Barcelona seem to have got the best out of her and we are seeing her start to get the recognition she deserves. Since joining Barcelona in 2019 she has definitely got plenty of goals under her belt and doesn't seem to be slowing down, I definitely think Oshoala is a player that deserves a high ranking in this year's awards.


It is so good to see Millie Bright finally getting the recognition she deserves but at the same time I definitely think she could have placed higher in this years awards. Bright is an integral part of the Chelsea defence and we have seen her putting in fantastic performances for plenty of seasons now yet she is only just getting noticed by judging panels, I am hoping this is just the start of Bright getting the nominations she deserves as I don't see her performances slowing down for Chelsea anytime soon. When it comes to Bacha it is quite scary to think she is only 21-year-old. At 21-year-old she is having a fantastic career so far and is certainly a key player for Lyon. For me Bacha definitely has the potential to become one of the left backs in the world and with her young age I can imagine we will be seeing her name on a lot of nomination lists in the future and scarily I don't even think we have seen her full potential yet. 

For the past few years I will be honest I haven't agreed with Alex Morgan being nominated for awards like this as I don't think she has been at her best however, since moving to San Diego Wave she has really started looking like the Alex Morgan we have been used to seeing previously. She really has been a key player for San Diego in their inaugural season and I think we are starting to see an Alex Morgan who is back in fine form. Endler is a player that really stood out to me when watching Chile play in the World Cup back in 2019 and since then she has really impressed me, does she really deserve the 12th place spot though?  I really aren't sure as I think there have been better goalkeepers at clubs around the globe this year, Mary Earps is just one suggestion, but I guess by playing at Lyon Endler has all eyes on her. Don't get me wrong she is a good 'keeper however, I am not sure about this one this time around. I am really shocked that Miedema hasn't ranked higher in the 2022 awards as once again she has been a standout player for Arsenal and was key for them gaining a Champions League spot this season. She still scores for the fun of it and helps in the build up play for Arsenal too. She really does play a big part in the Arsenal set up and to be honest I keep forgetting she is only 26 years old, she seems to have achieved so much already. 


Lucy Bronze has found herself 10th in this year's award ranking and to be honest it is nice to see her in the top 10. Bronze had a good season once again for Man City last season and really showed us all why she is one of the best right backs in the world. Her move to Barcelona in the summer just goes to sow the quality of player she is and what she can bring to teams in a variety of leagues. I am definitely going to miss seeing Bronze in the WSL again. 23 year old USA Macario is really getting her professional career underway and is making a name for herself at Lyon. She is no stranger to award nominations as she won plenty during her time at Stanford, I think we are going to see plenty more nominations for her during her professional career too as she has ranked 9th in the Ballon D'or whilst still being fairly new to the pro game. 

Renard has been a key player for Lyon for a long time now but honestly I think I would have swapped her and Bright around in this years award placing. I don't know why but watching Renard play this past year just hasn't seemed to be a scratch on the Renard we are used to seeing. Yes she has a good season once again but I do believe a few other players in the same position as her have had much better seasons. Hegerberg is another player who seems to have been on awards lists for a long time now and I can't see the 27 year old disappearing from the list anytime soon either. She is doing fantastic still at Lyon and shows no sign of slowing down, I do think she should have placed a bit lower this time around though as I think some others have had a better season than her. Popp actually spent most of the season out with a serious injury however, when she came back she had an absolutely fantastic season. She stood out that much she managed to break into Germany's very strong Euro side in the summer. Popp is one of those names that has been around for a while now and is a player that has stood out to us for many years now. To say the injury she suffered that kept her out for most of the season I am surprised she had the season she did and to be honest at 31 year old she doesn't seem to be slowing down, I think we will be seeing her name on plenty more awards lists for a few more years yet.


24 year old Bonmati is really making a name for herself as part of the amazing Barcelona team we are seeing these days and the midfielder has been a key part of their success. I love her style of play and how she can move the ball around so well and get Barcelona into some dangerous attacks. She is another player that made me more interested in watching the Spanish league and I am really looking forward to seeing her continue developing as a top player, she definitely deserves this top 5 finish and I think we need to get used to seeing her as a top contender in these awards. Lena Oberdorf might only be 20 years old but she is a player we are keeping a close eye on as she is already one of those standout players. She was amazing at the Euros but she has also been absolutely fantastic at Wolsfburg since joining in 2020, she is such a versatile player who is able to play midfield, defensive midfield and even centre back, her vision on the ball is fantastic and she isn't afraid of putting a challenge in. To think she is only 20 year old is again quite scary as we are yet to see her full potential, I think Oberdorf is another name we need to get used to seeing on these award lists as if she continues the way she is at the moment we could see her become a real household name in the near future. 

Sam Kerr is always floating around on the awards lists these days and I don't think that is going to change any time soon. However, I don't think this year's 3rd place finish is where she should be, I think some other nominated players have had much stronger campaigns, but I guess with how popular the player is more of the voters will have focused on her over other names, like we have seen happen in the past. Don't get me wrong Kerr has had a good season with Chelsea but how she placed above Oberdorf has me scratching my head a little. Beth Mead's revenge season after being left out of the Olympics went amazingly well and we have seen her have her best season in an Arsenal shirt and we are now also seeing her finally get the recognition she deserves with being nominated for various awards. I do think she was robbed this year though with a second place finish, the growth we have seen from her this year certainly deserves a 1st place finish and she really was an integral part of helping Arsenal gain Champions League football this year whilst pushing for the top spot. I think we are starting to see the best from Mead so fingers crossed the recognition continues and we see her being nominated for and winning a lot more awards in the future. If she played for Barcelona or Lyon would she have won it with no questions asked? Well I think she would have stood a better chance. 

This years Ballon D'or winner is Barcelona star Alexia Putellas. She is the first female Ballon D'or back to back winner and to be honest she has had another great season at Barcelona but do I think Mead should have won it? Of course I do. Putellas has really made a name for herself these past few seasons and has really made herself a household name which she rightly should be with the quality of play she possesses. Unfortunately due to the injury she picked up on the eve of Euro 2022 she is now ruled out for most of, if not all of this season so I don't think we will on many awards lists next year but I am sure once she returns from injury fully she is going to be back making an impact for club and country whilst winning plenty more awards in the process. 

So there you go that is how this years female Ballon D'or was ranked, as I have said a few times during this post there are a few decisions that I don't quite agree with but I think we do need to get used to seeing these players on the awards lists as they are certainly the stand out names in the women's game at the moment. The women's game is definitely growing and these awards must be getting harder and harder to narrow down so I am very glad I am not a part of the judging panel, how are you meant to rank these names? 

I wonder if in next years nominations we will see new names enter or if we are going to see a nomination list the same as this one? With the talent in the game constantly growing it is hard to take a guess. Do you agree with this years rankings or would you change some around too?

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A look at the BBC Women's footballer of the year 2022 nominees...


The nominees for the BBC Women's Footballer of the year 2022 have been named and we don't have long to wait for the winner to be announced as that will be happening on the 9th November. It has been a big year for Women's football and I really don't know how the panel have managed to narrow the nominees down to the 5 names they have done as the game is going from strength to strength with players improving year after year and really becoming standout names that everyone is beginning to know. With this summer's Euros a lot of players have started to become household names and young players have started catching people's attention showing just what we can expect from them as their careers progress. The five nominees for this years BBC Women's Footballer of the year have all had an exciting year and here is a look at those nominees...

Sam Kerr

Kerr is definitely an established household name. The Chelsea & Australia star just keeps putting in some amazing performances for club and country with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. We have grown used to seeing Kerr's name on these nomination lists and I can't see that stopping anytime soon. She won the WSL golden boot last year and played a big part in Chelsea securing another title in the WSL. Kerr is a player that is always great to watch but do I think she has had a better season than some of the other players on this list? Honestly I don't think she has, I think a few others have a much more influential season. 

Beth Mead

I think it is safe to say Beth Mead is a name a lot of fans have become used to hearing this year, she has had a fantastic season at Arsenal and really helped them in their push to knock Chelsea off the top spot where they just came up short on the final day. She also had an amazing Euro campaign where she was influential in England winning their first major trophy, she won the golden boot in the tournament and as the new Arsenal season has begun she is showing her form from the summer is continuing into the new season, there seems to be no stopping Beth Mead these days whether that is on a scoring front or assisting her team mates. After being left out of the Team GB Olympic squad Mead had a point to prove and she has certainly done just that, I think this is only the start of seeing Mead receiving well deserved award nominations. 

Alexandra Popp

Popp might not have played much during the domestic season for Wolfsburg however, when she did play she made an impact. She missed most of the season with a serious injury but she wasn't going to come back and sit in the shadows, she wanted that Germany call up for the Euros and she got it at long last Popp was heading to a major tournament. She started the early stages on the bench for Germany but came on and made an impact on the games, soon enough she was a started and was challenging Beth Mead for the Golden Boot. Popp really helped Germany progress through the Euro's and we were looking forward to seeing her really challenge the English defence in the final unfortunately though that wasn't to be as she pulled out of the game during warm ups with an injury. I really do think she could have changed the outcome of the final if she had played but now I guess we will never know. All I know is she is a name I am going to be keeping a closer eye on in the future as she has really impressed me this year.

Alexia Putellas 

The Barcelona captain has had a good few seasons now and has found herself a back to back Ballon D'or winner after two solid campaigns with Barcelona. Putellas is the Barcelona captain and has led the club to the domestic treble scoring 18 goals in the process and providing the team with plenty of assists. She has become a name a lot of female fans now know and I don't see that changing anytime soon with the skill she possesses. Putellas was a player everyone was looking forward to seeing play in the Euros and a player who was always going to be a key player for Spain however, right before the competition was due to start Putellas unfortunately found herself out injured with an ACL injury. I think her injury definitely impacted the Spanish Euro performance but do I think she should win this award? Honestly I think other names should have been considered and other nominees have definitely made a stronger case to win this award.

Wendie Renard

Renard has been one of those defenders I have loved watching since I started watching the women's game properly, she seems to have gone from strength to strength especially at club level but as a part of the French national team I don't think that we have seen her potential this year, yes she has played well but she hasn't looked like she used to. As for with Lyon though she has had another great season, she missed the early season through injury but she soon bounced back and helped Lyon win yet more trophies throughout the season, they just seem unstoppable. The Defender is also the first female player to make 100 Champions League appearances which I guess just shows how great she is, she really is an integral part of the Lyon squad and the French squad and I can't see that changing anytime soon. 

So there you have it those are the five players that have been nominated for this years award, do I think other players could of made the cut? Of course I do but I guess these five have just stood out that little bit more. For me though there is only winner and that is Beth Mead, she has been fantastic all year round and is showing no signs of slowing down, I am glad she is finally getting the recognition she deserves. 

There isn't long to wait with the winner being announced on the 9th November, who would your winner from these five players be? 

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Our thoughts on this years Ballon D'or nominations


 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?
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