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.
There is no way back for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. The Belgian international has not given the management any reason to have faith in his abilities over his past four seasons at the club and is unsurprisingly the most important departure for the Merengues in the summer.
Hazard has one more year on his contract in Madrid. However, it is clear that Carlo Ancelotti does not trust him and that any potential replacement manager in the summer will echo his stance.
According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Fenerbahce are willing to go all out to sign Hazard this summer. The Turkish side have made the former Chelsea their prime target, yet face a steep task ahead of them.
The 32-year-old is hellbent on seeing out his contract with Los Blancos despite seeing his career sink right before his eyes. It thus becomes complicated for the party to lure away the forward, especially in a competition outside Europe’s top five leagues.
Fenerbahce attempted to sign the winger in the recently concluded winter transfer market. They reached an agreement with Real Madrid but failed to get over the line as they could not convince the player of the move.
The biggest obstacle for the Turkish side will be convincing Hazard to make the move by letting go of his lucrative contract in Madrid. The chances are slim, but not impossible.
Hazard has made just three league appearances and one start for Ancelotti’s side this season in La Liga, a steep fall from last season’s 18 and seven respectively.
His last appearance for the team came back in January when Real Madrid faced Cacereno in the Copa del Rey. In La Liga however, he last played in September 2022 in a 4-1 win over Mallorca.
