Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has finished 20th in the Ballon d'Or rankings for 2022.
Before the glitzy ceremony in Paris takes place, lower placings from the 30-man shortlist continue to be confirmed with Ronaldo picking up 18 votes for the coveted accolade. It was enough to position in him the top-20 with former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema odds-on to scoop the trophy.
Ronaldo's long-term rival Lionel Messi was not nominated this year despite winning his seventh prize 12 months ago. He missed out on the shortlist as Ronaldo finished in his lowest position since 2005.
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Casemiro signed for United from Spanish giants Real this summer and continues to settle in at Old Trafford with his placing (tied for 17th) coming after he won another Champions League medal last season. He was named along with Liverpool forward Luis Diaz and Dusan Vlahovic in 17th position.
Aside from those two United players, there is a heavy Manchester City representation in the top-30 as Norway star Erling Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne, Phil Foden, Joao Cancelo, Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva gain recognition for yet another superb year at the Etihad Stadium and beyond.
Cancelo finished joint-25th with Foden and Bernardo among three players who were voted in 22nd position, while the top-three will be crowned at the main event from 7.30pm. Ronaldo is expected to attend the ceremony - which is being held at the Theatre du Chalet - in Paris - before promptly jetting back into the UK.
Ballon d'Or 2022 nominees: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Karim Benzema, Joao Cancelo, Casemiro , Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Luis Diaz, Fabinho, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Sebastien Haller, Harry Kane, Joshua Kimmich, Rafael Leao, Robert Lewandowski, Riyad Mahrez, Mike Maignan, Sadio Mane, Kylian Mbappe, Luka Modric, Christopher Nkunku, Darwin Nunez, Cristiano Ronaldo , Antonio Rudiger, Mohamed Salah, Bernardo Silva, Son Heung-min, Virgil van Dijk, Vinicius Junior, Dusan Vlahovic.
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