Karim Benzema wins Ballon d'Or; Manchester City named club of the year: Here's the full list of winners from the award ceremony

The 66th annual ceremony of the Ballon d'Or, recognising the finest achievements in football from all over the world, was presented by France Football last night (October 17).

For the first time in the history of the ceremony, the awards were given based on the results of the season (August 2021–July 2022) instead of the calendar year. The nominees for the ceremony were announced on August 12, 2022.

Here is the complete list of winners and nominees from last night’s ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris:

Men’s Ballon d’Or

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema lifted his first Ballon d'Or trophy, becoming only the fifth Frenchman to do so and at the age of 34, he became the oldest winner since Stanley Matthews in 1956.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have won 12 of the last 13 Ballon d’Ors, with Real Madrid’s Luka Modric being the only exception to the pattern in 2018. However, Messi was not even nominated for the 2022 award and Ronaldo finished 20th this year.

Women’s Ballon d’Or

Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas won the women’s Ballon d'Or for a second straight year, becoming the first women's player to achieve the feat.

The award came after a season in which she was the top scorer as her club Barcelona reached the Champions League final.

Gerd Muller Award

The Gerd Müller Trophy, simply known as Striker of the Year or Best Striker Award is the award presented to the highest-scoring footballer in the previous season.

The inaugural winner, as well as title holder, is Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored 57 goals in 56 matches in 2021 while playing for German club Bayern Munich and the Polish national football team.

Yashin Award

Named after the late Soviet Union goalkeeper Lev Yashin, the Yashin Trophy is the award for the best performing goalkeeper.

Belgian goalkeeper and Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois made nine saves in the Champions League final and was named player of the match as Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 back in May, sealing his fate as the Yashin award winner of 2022.

Kopa Award

The Kopa Trophy is presented to the best performing player under the age of 21. The award is named after former French footballer Raymond Kopa. Unlike the Golden Boy award, the Kopa Trophy, even if less prestigious, is also open to those who play outside of Europe.

Barcelona’s central midfielder Gavi won this year's Kopa award. The 18-year-old succeeds his Barcelona teammate Pedri, who won the prize last year.

Socrates Award

As recognition for his extraordinary social commitment, the Senegal international Sadio Mane was named the inaugural winner of the Socrates Award. The Bayern Munich forward has for many years been aiding to improve conditions in his home region of Casamance in Senegal, supporting with donations to help build schools, a hospital and infrastructure. The reigning African Men's Player of the Year is a global ambassador for children's aid organisation Right To Play.

The new Socrates Award honours footballers who campaign for integration, climate protection, disadvantaged people or those threatened by conflict and is named after the former Brazil international, Socrates, whose political activism in the 1980s called for fans and players to rebel against the military dictatorship in his country at the time.

Club of the Year

English club Manchester City took home the Club of the Year prize at last night’s ceremony. The award follows on from City receiving the highest number of nominations across the different categories at the Ballon d’Or and saw them finish ahead of Liverpool at second and Real Madrid at third place.

In the club’s fourth successive league win over five seasons, Pep Guardiola’s squad secured the 2021-22 Premier League title, amassing a tally of 93 points.