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As Messi, as Ronaldo. These are the 5 contenders to win the golden ball this year

As Messi, as Ronaldo. These are the 5 contenders to win the golden ball this

With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo not close to the best performance in the respective teams Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, the prestigious French newspaper L'Equipe has alluded to other well-known names who could be contenders to win the Ballon d'Or.

The new rules mean that only performances in the current season will be considered, not the year as a whole - meaning the 2022 World Cup will have zero impact.

Let's take a look at the world-class footballers L'Equipe has chosen:

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

As Messi, as Ronaldo. These are the 5 contenders to win the golden ball this

Benzema is enjoying the best season of his career and seems to be improving every week. He leads the way for goals and assists in La Liga, while his appearances in the Champions League have been outstanding. He also helped France win the UEFA Nations League in October, so it is no wonder he is seen as the favorite to win the Ballon d'Or.

Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

As Messi, as Ronaldo. These are the 5 contenders to win the golden ball this

Once again, Lewandowski is the top scorer in a European football season. In the Bundesliga action, the Pole has scored 32 goals in just 29 games, a record that suits football legends Messi or Ronaldo.

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

As Messi, as Ronaldo. These are the 5 contenders to win the golden ball this

De Bruyne is in terribly good shape now and his performance against Liverpool last weekend was a football masterpiece.

Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)

As Messi, as Ronaldo. These are the 5 contenders to win the golden ball this

It takes someone special to be the best player on a team that has Messi and Neymar, but that's exactly what happened to Mbappe. He has excelled with PSG in the 2021/22 season and the goals scored by him are certainly worthy of the Golden Ball. In 39 games in all competitions, Mbappe has scored 31 goals and assisted 22 others.

Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

As Messi, as Ronaldo. These are the 5 contenders to win the golden ball this

Mohamed Salah has been Liverpool's key player for most of 2021/22, but L'Equipe thinks Mane is ahead of his team-mate in the Ballon d'Or race. Much of this must be due to the fact that Mane led Senegal towards an African Nations Cup triumph earlier this year. The winger played in the qualifying round of the tournament and also scored the winning penalty in the final against Salah's Egypt.

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