Kevin De Bruyne finishes third at 2022 Ballon d'Or awards

Belgian international becomes first City player ever to finish in the top three for prestigious accolade

Kevin De Bruyne has finished third in the prestigious Ballon d'Or Awards for 2022, becoming the first City player ever to finish in the top three. Sadio Mane of Bayern Munich finished second, with Real Madrid's Karim Benzema scooping the top award.

“I’ve been nominated quite a few times now. It means you’ve been doing well consistently and to be recognised as a player is always nice,” said De Bruyne at the ceremony on Monday evening.

“I think if you’re in that list, it means a lot and after it’s people’s opinion.

“There is only one player every year that can win the Ballon D’or out of millions and millions of people, so to be in that list of top 30 for a long time now, it is something I already appreciate.

“As a player I think you can reflect on what you did in your career. It is not something I look at right now. But when you finish your career, you can see what you have done as a player in your career for your club, for your country and individually.”

Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo, Ederson and Lucy Bronze were all also recognised, with Ederson also finishing third in the best goalkeeper category.