France Footbal, taken over by L'Equipe, has revealed the figures concerning the 30 nominees for the most sought-after individual trophy in soccer. The four Africans of the region are well represented.
4 nominees
Africa has four representatives among the 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or 2022. They are Sadio Mané (moved this summer from Liverpool to Bayern Munich), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ryad Mahrez (Manchester City) and Sebastien Haller (moved this summer from Ajax Amsterdam to Borussia Dortmund).
4 forwards
The Ballon d'Or gives pride of place to the strikers. Out of the 30 nominated players, there are 18 for 6 midfielders, 4 defenders and 2 goalkeepers. The four Africans of the year all play in this position.
4 countries
Only sixteen nationalities are represented for the Ballon d'Or 2022. The Africans nominated are from four countries: Senegal (Sadio Mané), Ivory Coast (Sebastien Haller), Egypt (Mohamed Salah) and Algeria (Riyad Mahrez).
3 "English"
50% of the 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or 2022 play or were playing (during the reference period) in the Premier League. Three of the four representatives of the continent played in this championship. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) and Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City) still play in the Premier League, while Sadio Mané (ex-Liverpool) left it this summer for the Bundesliga and Bayern Munich. Sebastien Haller, who was a member of Ajax Amsterdam in Euredivisie, joined Borussia Dortmund this summer.
2 left-handed players
The 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or are 22 right-handed, 7 left-handed and one ambidextrous (comfortable with both feet). Among the four Africans in the selection, only Sebastien Haller is right-handed. For Mahrez and Salah, the best foot is the left.
67 games of Mané
By scrutinizing the season of the 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or 2022, France Football found that they have played 1667 minutes in all competitions. In the Top 5, we find two of the four African nominees: Sadio Mané, who occupies the first place with 67 games played, and Mohamed Salah, third with one game less than the Senegalese.
17 passes from Salah
The 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or 2022 have delivered 311 passes. Mohamed Salah is the only African in the top 5. With 17 caviars distributed, he is fifth in the ranking dominated by Kylian Mbappé (26 passes, PSG).
