With a new system based on performance within a single season being implemented, and the conclusion of the 2021/22 campaign fast approaching, here are 10 players who could be considered among the favourites to win the 2022 Ballon d'Or award!
Click through the gallery above to see 10 potential frontrunners for this season's Ballon d'Or award!
Karim Benzema has been in superb form this season, scoring 37 times for Real Madrid so far, his best goal return at club level in his entire career.
His recall to the French national team has also gone a long way in reminding the football fraternity just how good he is at the age of 34, having scored in the UEFA Nations League final earlier in the campaign, while he also won the Supercopa de Espana with Los Blancos in January.
Having witnessed his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo capture four Golden Balls during their time together at the Santiago Bernabeu, Benzema will be keen to secure one of his own.
Another striker at his peak is Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, 33. Bayern Munich's star forward will be determined to finally win the highly coveted award after coming second to Lionel Messi last year.
The Bundesliga's second all-time top goalscorer has scored an incredible 45 goals across all competitions for the Bavarians so far this season, while he also led Poland to a second successive FIFA World Cup by scoring in their 2-0 victory over Sweden in their play-off qualifier late in March.
Another Bundesliga talent who could be in surprise contention for the Ballon d'Or is RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku.
The Frenchman has impressed many this season, and is one of only four players in Europe's top five leagues to have scored 15 goals or more and provided more than 10 assists, with the others being Benzema, Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappe.
'2022 Ballon D'Or Has Been Decided'
With Leipzig still in contention for the UEFA Europa League title, the 24-year-old will be hoping to cap off the campaign with a trophy to cement his spot as a Golden Ball frontrunner.
The duopoly of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi may have come to an end, though, with the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane and Vinicius Junior potentially finishing ahead of them in the race for the next Ballon d'Or title.
Here are 10 African legends who never played in a FIFA World Cup tournament:
