Seven La Liga stars named on 2022 Ballon d’Or shortlist | OneFootball

La Liga have received seven player nominations for the prestigious 2022 Ballon d’Or Award.

Spanish and European champions Real Madrid feature dominantly on the updated 30-player shortlist, with six star names, matching Premier League duo Manchester City and Liverpool as the most nominated club.

After scooping two major honours at the end of the 2021/22 season, Los Blancos have been rewarded with Thibaut Courtois, Casemiro, Luka Modric, Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior all included.

Summer signing Antonio Rudiger has also been named alongside new Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski following his switch from Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

However, the big news was arguably focused on a key name not included on the list, with Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi left off it for the first time since 2005.

Benzema is the current favourite to replace Messi as the 2022 winner with the announcement set to be confirmed on October 7, ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in November.