Karim Benzema and Alexia Putellas are currently leading a L'Équipe vote on this year’s Ballon d’Or winners.
The ceremony is scheduled to be held at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on Monday (October 17th).
The crème de la crème of men’s football will be present, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Virgil van Dijk and Robert Lewandowski.
They will be joined by the world’s best female players, with Alexia Putellas, Sam Kerr, Beth Mead and Lucy Bronze among those nominated for the Ballon d'Or Féminin.
Other accolades set to be handed out include the Kopa Trophy, for the best players under the age of 21, and the Yashin Trophy, for the best goalkeepers.
Karim Benzema and Alexia Putellas backed by public to win Ballon d’Or
According to the public vote held by L'Équipe, a significant portion of football fans want to see Benzema given the Ballon d’Or.
In fact, a whopping 63.9 percent of voters have backed the Frenchman to win the accolade for the first time in his career.
Benzema was remarkable last season, scoring 44 goals in 46 appearances as he helped Real Madrid win both La Liga and the Champions League.
MADRID, SPAIN - MARCH 09: Karim Benzema of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring their team's second goal during the UEFA Champions League Round Of Sixteen Leg Two match between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on March 09, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
The public have also backed Putellas to win the Ballon d'Or Féminin, although with just 26.4 percent of the vote, there seems to be more division over the recipient of the women’s award.
Although Putellas is currently on the sidelines with an ACL injury, the 28-year-old enjoyed a phenomenal 2021-2022 season with Barcelona.
They may not have won the Women’s Champions League, but Putellas still inspired her team to a domestic treble. She also became Spain’s most capped player with 100 appearances.
Whether L'Équipe’s public vote ends up being correct remains to be seen, but both Benzema and Putellas are certainly favourites to be crowned Ballon d’Or winners on Monday evening.
NORWICH, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 20: Alexia Putellas of Spain looks on during the national anthem prior to the Arnold Clark Cup match between England and Spain at Carrow Road on February 20, 2022 in Norwich, England. (Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images)
How is the Ballon d’Or decided?
The winners of the Ballon d’Or are decided by the coaches and captains of the national teams under FIFA’s jurisdiction, along with a number of international journalists.
The system is based on positional voting, with each voter allotted five points, three points and one point. The three finalists are then ordered based on the total number of points they receive.
Last year’s awards went to Messi and Putellas, with Pedri winning the Kopa Trophy and Gianluigi Donnarumma receiving the Yashin Trophy.