The great and good of world football gathered in Paris on Monday evening, including Sadio Mane and board member for sport Hasan Salihamidzic, for the 66th Ballon d’Or ceremony by France Football.
Ballon d’Or: Mane comes second
Mane had two reasons to be pleased at the event as the Senegal international finished a proud second place in the Ballon d’Or vote for the world’s best footballer behind Karim Benzema. But the 30-year-old did come home with a trophy for his social and charity work over the 2021/22 season, being the inaugural winner of the new Socrates Award.
Kopa Trophy: Two Bayern players in top 10
Jamal Musiala has an amazing record in a Bayern shirt with 22 goals and 15 assists in 92 appearances – all at the age of just 19. That was recognised in the Kopa Trophy award for the best U21 player in the world, where Musiala came third for the second year in a row. Gavi of Barcelona won the honour ahead of Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga. Ryan Gravenberch came joint-sixth with RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol.
Yashin Trophy: Neuer finishes seventh
Our No.1 once again came in the world’s top 10 goalkeepers of the last season, with Manuel Neuer finishing seventh in the third edition of the Yashin Trophy. The award went to Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid, who finished ahead of Alisson Becker of Liverpool and Ederson of Manchester City.
As well as the usual trophies and prizes, the 2022 Ballon d’Or ceremony also saw the first awarding of the Gerd Müller Trophy for the best goalscorer of the last year, named after Bayern legend Gerd Müller.
Find out more about the Gerd Müller Trophy and its inaugural winner:
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