Real Madrid president Florentino Perez suspects the Ballon d'Or landscape may be shifting as Lionel Messi 's stranglehold on football's greatest individual honour slips.
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Messi, 34, claimed his seventh award in late November to enhance his status as the greatest footballer of all time.
But the decision was not universally popular as many fans believed Robert Lewandowski was the deserving winner after another sensational season at the tip of the Bayern Munich attack, having been denied the 2020 accolade.
Lewandowski, 33, is poised to mount another charge on the 2022 Ballon d'Or after a prolific start to the season, while Mohamed Salah will be another leading contender if he maintains his world-class Liverpool form.
The race for the esteemed prize is shaping up to be one of the most-competitive in recent years, especially as Messi has struggled to live up to his lofty standards.
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The Argentina captain has registered six goals and five assists for PSG following his arrival on a free transfer from Barcelona last summer.
The only player to break up Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo 's Ballon d'Or duopoly over the last 13 years is Luka Modric, who claimed the 2018 gong.
The veteran playmaker, 36, continues to produce vintage displays in the Real Madrid midfield and scored the opening goal as Los Blancos won the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday night.
Club supremo Perez believes the Croatian deserves a second Ballon d'Or if he continues to defy his age with his level of performance.
"Without wanting to brag, they're the best players in the world in their positions," Perez told Movistar , per Marca , of Modric and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
"Modric is in enviable form, it's worthy of winning the Ballon d'Or again."
Wherever the 2022 Ballon d'Or ends up, there is no denying the tide is changing as Messi enters the twilight years of his career.
The Camp Nou legend has been installed by bookmakers as the joint-favourite to win the award alongside Lewandowski, with Salah, Ronaldo and PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe in hot pursuit.
While Messi has struggled for consistency during his debut season at the Parc des Princes, Mbappe has been in sensational form throughout the first half of the season.
The 23-year-old is PSG's top goalscorer (14) as well as their top assister (12), and he has fired Mauricio Pochettino's side to an enormous 11-point lead in Ligue 1.
Mbappe finished ninth in the 2021 Ballon d'Or voting while Manchester United striker Ronaldo edged out Salah to sixth ahead of the Egyptian in seventh.
