Manchester City has been recognized as the 2022 Ballon d’Or Club of the Year. After Chelsea won the award for the first-time last year and ended ahead of Liverpool in second and Real Madrid in third, the Citizens have now won it for the first time and they truly deserved this.
The senior team under manager Pep Guardiola had another strong season in 2021–22, scoring 150 goals in all competitions, which was more than any other team in Europe.
With 93 points and one point separating them from championship rivals Liverpool in second place, City won the Premier League for the fourth time in five seasons. Additionally, Guardiola’s team advanced to the semifinals of both the FA Cup and the Champions League before falling to eventual winners Real Madrid and Liverpool, respectively.
In other news, Gareth Taylor’s Manchester City Women won the Continental Cup for the fourth time with a 3-1 victory over Chelsea in the final. They also advanced to the Women’s FA Cup final, where they fell short to the Blues this time.
Under Brian Barry-Murphy, City’s Elite Development Squad won the Premier League 2 championship for a second straight year, and Ben Wilkinson’s Under-18 team successfully defended their Premier League Under-18 North and National crowns.
Manchester City CEO comments on the Sky Blues being named as the club of the year
Speaking at the award ceremony in Paris, CEO Ferran Soriano said:
“This is a proud day for Manchester City. To be named Club of the Year is an honour and further underlines the strength of this club across both men’s and women’s football.”
“We pride ourselves on playing beautiful football and winning matches. We are proud of the quality of the players and all the staff behind the scenes who help make us successful. This award is recognition of the hard work and dedication found in every department of our organisation.”
More than any other club, Man City had a total of eight players across the men’s and women’s teams nominated for individual awards.
While Joao Cancelo (25th), Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden (tied 22nd), Riyad Mahrez (12th), Erling Braut Haaland (10th), and Kevin De Bruyne (third) were all ranked inside the top 25 for the Men Ballon d’Or, goalkeeper Ederson placed third in the Yashin Trophy. In the meantime, Lucy Bronze came in at number ten in the Women’s Ballon d’Or standings.
Karim Benzema of Real Madrid won the Men’s Ballon d’Or award for the first time, and Alexia Putellas of Barcelona won the Women’s Ballon d’Or title for the second consecutive year.
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