Opening 2022 Ballon d’Or Odds: Salah & Lewandowski Favored at +500, Messi Third at +600

• The opening odds for the 2022 Ballon d’Or Odds are out with Mo Salah and Robert Lewandowski joint-favorites
• The great Lionel Messi – now with PSG – is the third favorite; teammate Kylian Mbappe is fourth
• See the odds for the 2022 Ballon d’Or and search for value beyond the top three

In the opening odds of the 2022 Ballon d’Or Liverpool’s Mo  Salah and Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski are the early favorites, followed by the legendary Lionel Messi who now adorns the shirt of PSG. We preview these three and look at their prospects for 2022 while also looking ahead to see if there are any other names that may enter the frame to be the world’s best player.

We look at the 2022 Ballon d’Or odds, look at the prospects for the top three, and also further afield to see if there are other players who will enter the frame over the course of the year.

Ballon d’Or Odds 2022 – Top 20

Odds as of February 6 at William Hill.

Salah and Lewandowski are currently joint-favorites at +500, with an implied probability of 16.67%. Messi, in third, has an implied probability of 11.11% and Mbappe at 9.09% in fourth.

Lewandowski’s Final Chance at Ballon d’Or?

Lewandowski can count himself unlucky that he has played in the era of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as, without those two superstars, he would surely have won the Ballon d’Or on more than one occasion by now. The Pole has consistently been the top goalscorer in Germany (and Europe) over the past decade, firstly with Borussia Dortmund and latterly with Bayern Munich.

He has been the Golden Boot winner in the Bundesliga no fewer than six times and appears to be getting better with age – scoring 41 league goals in 2020-21.

Robert Lewandowski has now scored 24 Bundesliga goals so far this season.

Six more than the next highest goalscorer. 😳 pic.twitter.com/h6EuN25Ift

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 5, 2022

Although the Pole is now 33-years-old, his striking prowess shows no sign of abating and, in fact, the years of experience have only added wisdom to his game. He has turned the art of goalscoring into an art form. With Messi and Ronaldo looking to have gone beyond the peak of their powers, this could be Lewandowski’s time. As things stand, he again leads the Bundesliga scoring chart with 24 goals.

Salah’s AFCON Heroics

Salah’s career has been more of a slow-burner than Lewandowski’s and it was only in his mid-20s, after spells with Basel and Chelsea, that his move to Roma in Serie A triggered a goalscoring run of nearly a goal every two games. Liverpool was the first team to pounce when it became clear when he made it clear he would like a return to the EPL and the rest is history.

That Mo Salah assist 🤝 pic.twitter.com/NfsOebUwXD

— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 30, 2022

In his first season at Anfield, he scored 32 Premier League goals (44 in total) and won the English Golden Boot for the first time. He repeated the feat one season later when he shared the award with Arsenal’s Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, but with Salah it is more than just goalscoring. He is vital to Liverpool’s expansive but high-pressing style in which he is asked to close opposing defenders down and effectively act as the Reds’ first line of defense. As captain of an Egypt team that has already made the final of the AFCON, he’s started the year perfectly.

PSG Duo in the Hunt?

Messi’s flame has burned brightly for many years but a move to PSG has dimmed it slightly with Ligue 1 being considered slightly less competitive than La Liga, the EPL and the Bundesliga. At 34-years-old, he is still fit and healthy and the skills are still there, but it is hard to see him getting himself to the forefront of this award yet again after a slow start to life in Paris. If, and it’s a big if, Argentina can do deep in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar it may just swing the balance in his favour.

Kylian Mbappé has agreed to sign for Real Madrid as a free agent in the summer, per @BILD_Sport pic.twitter.com/6AhLrXRF7Z

— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 31, 2022

The same applies to his PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe, who will also be more heavily back in the latter months of 2022 if the French get to the final stages in Qatar. In fact, a World Cup win for France would propel Mbappe to the front of the field in the eyes of the journalists who vote for this award, as will his pending high-profile move to Real Madrid.

Every point counts! 💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/HtvYiIxgKU

— Kevin De Bruyne (@DeBruyneKev) January 22, 2022

De Bruyne a Worthy Outsider

The same applies to Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne who has to be in the frame if his club wins the 2021-22 EPL, which they look almost certain to do, and if the talented Belgians can finally get their hands on a major prize. At 30-year-old, de Bruyne is at the peak of his powers and is a genuine contender in this race.

While Ronaldo looks unlikely to feature – his time at Man Utd has been mixed – there is a chance that Erling Haaland of BVB could yet come into the reckoning from the position of outsider, especially if he gets a big, high-profile move in the summer.

Pick: Kevin de Bruyne to win the 2022 Ballon d’Or (+1000)