Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid have the highest number of nominees for the Ballon d’Or 2022
Real Madrid enjoyed a sensational 2021/22 campaign as they won the La Liga title, lifted their 15th European crown by winning the UEFA Champions League and also bagged the Spanish Super Cup trophy.
Carlo Ancelotti & co. then started the new campaign by adding another trophy to their kitty by winning the UEFA Super Cup last month. All in all, it has been a tremendously successful year for Los Blancos and it is being reflected in the award season.
Karim Benzema was named the UEFA Best Player of the Year while Ancelotti won the Best Coach award. Vinicius Junior was the recipient of the UEFA Best Young Player of the Year award as well.
And now with the Ballon d’Or ceremony nearing, Real Madrid are also dominating the nominees’ list for the coveted prize from France Football.
Indeed, Real Madrid are the club with the joint-highest number of nominees for Ballon d’Or 2022, with as many as six Merengues’ stars in contention for the prize.
The aforementioned Benzema is the top contender for the award while key duo Vinicius Junior and Thibaut Courtois, who enjoyed a stunning season last time out are also in the running for the prize.
Along with the trio, ageless wonder Luka Modric is also named on the 30-man shortlist for the prize, along with new signing Antonio Rudiger, who was part of the team that won the UEFA Super Cup even though he was at Chelsea last season.
The sixth name on the list is Casemiro. Although the Brazilian has joined Manchester United, he is in the running for the prize for his contributions at Real Madrid during the 2021/22 campaign.
The Ballon d'Or nominees by club ⚽️✨#ballondor pic.twitter.com/UHZq9zI7Hq
— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) September 13, 2022
Along with Real Madrid, Liverpool, who lost to Los Blancos in the UCL final last season, also have six representatives in the Ballon d’Or race for this year. while Premier League champions Manchester City also have six names in the running.
The current edition of the Real Madrid squad is full of young talents, who have shown remarkable potential in recent years.
Arda Guler is among the young players looking to make a mark in European football in the years to come.
The young Turk joined Real Madrid earlier this summer, rejecting many other European giants in the process.
Toni Kroos mentoring Guler at Real Madrid
Guler has not enjoyed the best of starts to his life at Santiago Bernabeu, as he is spending a brief time on the sidelines due to an injury.
However, Guler has not stopped working on his characteristics, as he looks to kickstart his Real Madrid career on a positive note.
To that end, the former Fenerbahce starlet is receiving some key support from one of Real Madrid’s midfield pillars in the form of Toni Kroos.
This is according to MARCA, which suggests that the German international is mentoring Guler in his early days at Santiago Bernabeu.
Kroos: huge ‘sponsor’ of Guler
The report highlights how Toni Kroos is a huge admirer of Arda Guler. The German had even heaped praise on the youngster from Turkey when he joined the club earlier in the summer.
Guler, therefore, is closely training with Kroos, whose years of experience, composure, and knowledge of football, could help the youngster grow at Santiago Bernabeu.
This fits in well with Carlo Ancelotti’s vision at Real Madrid, as the Italian boss wants youngsters to have room to grow, especially with guidance from some of the older guards in the team.
It is one of the key reasons Real Madrid wanted to stick to Kroos and Luka Modric, despite bringing in Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham in the summer.
Guler, therefore, has the stage set for him to start his Real Madrid career on a strong note. After impressing in training, the next step for the youngster is to make a promising debut, which is just around the corner.
