Ballon d’Or 2022 - Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski chances of winning award examined

The 2022 Ballon d’or will be presented in October, with the prestigious award now being given to the best player over a season rather than a calendar year. It is arguably the most eye-catching in a series of bold reforms to the award presented by France Football magazine, which will be contested among an even stronger list of nominees.

Ad/> The overall winner for the prestigious honour will now be determined after journalists from L’Equipe and France Football have their say, alongside the selections from Ballon d’Or ambassador Didier Drogba. Premier League'That's all I need' — Klopp content with Salah's contract talks with LiverpoolA DAY AGO In addition to the above, a much more streamlined voting system is set to be introduced that allows only representatives from the top 100 countries in the FIFA men’s rankings qualified to vote.

This year’s World Cup in Qatar will take place after the presentation of this year’s award, and the players’ exploits in that tournament will be judged for the following year. But despite these fundamental changes, the usual suspects are set to battle it out once again to receive what is arguably the most respected individual award in world football.

Here are five of the favourites to claim this year’s golden ball... Mohamed Salah Club: Liverpool Country: Egypt Odds: 9-2 Liverpool’s ‘Egyptian King’ has proved his worth to Jurgen Klopp’s side time and time again with a series of stellar performances for a team still chasing an elusive quadruple.

His 28 goals in 37 appearances across all competitions this season have proven to be crucial, as he seeks to become the first African winner of the award since George Weah in 1995. His record in the Champions League has been mightily impressive after