Ballon d’Or: How Lionel Messi Hurt Erling Haaland’s Chances of Winning Prestigious Award in 2022

• Man City superstar Erling Haaland will not be among the contenders for the 2022 edition of the Ballon d'Or award
• This is despite his hot start to life with Man City, following his move to the club from Borussia Dortmund in the summer
• With 29 goals to his name in his last season with Dortmund and 20 so far with City, Haaland was expected to be among the favourites for the award
• However, a change in the voting criteria after the controversy surrounding Lionel Messi's victory in 2021 denied Haaland a chance of competing for the prize

Erling Haaland will not be in the running for the 2022 edition of the Ballon d'Or award. This is despite the youngster's meteoric rise to prominence in recent years, which has seen him shatter records at every opportunity.

Haaland has enjoyed an electric start to life in the Premier League since joining Manchester City in the summer.

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With 15 goals in just 10 EPL outings, the Norwegian star is no doubt the favourite to win the Golden Boot award in his first year in the English top flight.

However, his impressive goal scoring streak is not something he discovered after his switch to the Etihad Stadium.

The 22-year-old has been in the form of his life since he burst onto the scene during his time with Austrian giants RB Salzburg. At Borussia Dortmund, where he spent two years before he moved to Man City, he only got better.

Messi affects Haaland's Ballon chances

Having scored 29 goals and bagged eight assists in his final season with Dortmund, coupled with his hot start at Man City, many had hoped the towering striker would be a serious contender for the 2022 Ballon d'Or award.

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However, that will not be the case, with the Norwegian star not among the top footballers who will be challenging for the award.

According to Sporting News, a change in the voting criteria essentially ruled out any chance that Haaland could have launched himself into contention for the prize.

The award's creators and organisers are understood to have set new voting criteria for the 2022 edition, following the controversy surrounding the 2021 victory by Lionel Messi.

Voters for the 2022 edition of the Ballon d'Or were asked to factor in only a player's performance in the prior European season instead of the current calendar year, as had been the case in past editions.

As such, despite Haaland's otherwise impressive form, his last campaign with Dortmund won't be enough to afford him a place on the podium for the Ballon d'Or, as there are a handful of players clearly ahead of him.

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Ronaldo to attend Ballon d'Or

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Cristiano Ronaldo is set to attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony for the first time since 2017.

Despite extremely low chances of the 37-year-old winning the award, he will be in attendance to support a friend.

Frenchman Karim Benzema is the current favourite to clinch the coveted individual accolade in 2022.