After helping Napoli to their third Scudetto last season, Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia finished in the top 20 in the Ballon d’Or.
According to Goal, the Azzurri combo garnered more votes than Inter’s top star, Lautaro Martinez, who won the World Cup and reached the Champions League final. As expected, Lionel Messi defeated Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé to win his ninth title.
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The Partenopei striker finished eighth, while the Georgian star ended seventeenth. Kim Min-Jae, a third vital component of the title-winning squad, was ranked 22nd, two ranks behind Inter and one ahead of André Onana. Instead, Nicol Barella finished 27th.
On their way to the Tricolore in 2021/2022, Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia combined for 45 goals and 22 assists. Milan defeated Napoli in the Champions League Round of 16.
In recent years, no Serie A player had made the top ten. Cristiano Ronaldo and Gianluigi Donnarumma finished sixth and tenth in 2020, respectively. However, they had already departed Italy to join Manchester United and PSG. In 2019, the Portuguese star finished last on the podium.
The Italian league last won the Ballon d’Or with Milan’s Kaká in 2007. Fabio Cannavaro won the award for the last time in 2006, narrowly defeating Juventus star Gianluigi Buffon. In 2021, Jorginho finished third behind Messi and Robert Lewandowski.
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