The Best Watches at Ballon d'Or 2022

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema made history in 2022, becoming the first French footballer to win the Ballon d’Or. This capped off a great season, that included Benzema leading Real Madrid to Spanish League and Champions League Titles. Most of us will remember 2022 as Lionel Messi’s year, after he led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup Championship in Qatar. However, it was Benzema who took home the Ballon d’Or just a few months earlier. This may be surprising to some, as either Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi has one every single Ballon d’Or since 2008 (except for Luka Modric winning in 2018 and Benzema winning in 2022).

Besides being a great event honoring the greatest soccer stars, the Ballon d’Or has become a great display of something else: watches. Wrist Enthusiast has featured the watch collections of footballers such as Leo Messi and Ronaldo, as well as taken a more general look at some of the watches of the best soccer players. So let’s take a look at what the stars wore sporting at the 2022 Ballon d’Or.

Karim Benzema’s Watch at Ballon d'Or 2022 - Richard Mille RM 65-01

Benzema capped off a season in which he led La Liga in goals with his first Ballon d’Or trophy. During the festivities Benzema was spotted wearing a Richard Mille RM 65-01 Automatic Winding Split-Seconds Chronograph. This colorful watch features a skeleton dial visible underneath the chronograph subdials. You can find the Richard Mille RM 65-01 on the secondary market for around $400,000 USD.

Robert Lewandowski’s Watch at Ballon d'Or 2022 - Casio Vintage A158WETG-9AVT

Though Benzema won the Ballon d’Or, Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski’s wristwear was perhaps the most talked about watch at the event. While the Polish footballer has been spotted wearing many high end watch brands, including Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, he was wearing something much more affordable to the 2022 Ballon d’Or. Lewandowski was seen wearing a Casio Vintage Ref. A158WETG-9AVT in gold. This steel watch is plated in gold and features an LED backlight, alarm, stopwatch, and approximately seven years of battery life. While Lewandowski’s watch retails for just under $70 USD, it is currently sold out. You can pick up a similar model on Amazon for just $48 USD.

Didier Drogba’s Watch at Ballon d'Or 2022 - Richard Mille 72-01

Retired Ivorian footballer Didier Drogba, best known for playing for Chelsea, also made an appearance at the 2022 Ballon d’Or. During the event he was seen wearing a rose gold Richard Mille RM 72-01 Lifestyle Flyback Chronograph. The watch features an in-house Caliber CRMC1 skeletonized automatic movement with automatic bidirectional winding and hours, minutes, small seconds, date, flyback chronograph, function indicator and stop seconds. The RM 72-01 in rose gold is currently selling on the secondary market for around $400,000 USD.

Kylian Mbappe’s Watch at Ballon d’Or 2022 - Hublot Big Bang Steel Diamonds

After watching the 2022 World Cup, it is clear that 24 year old French footballer Kylian Mbappé is the future of football. Mbappe won the Golden Boot at the World Cup, awarded to the player with the most goals in the competition (Mbappé had 8 goals to Leo Messi’s 7 goals). It is clear that Mbappé will be a force to reckon with in soccer for years to come. Mbappé is always seen decked out with a nice watch, thanks to his sponsorship by LVMH brand Hublot. At the 2022 Ballon d’Or, Mbappé was wearing a Hublot Big Bang Steel Diamonds Ref. 341.SX.130.RX.114. This watch features a bezel set with 126 diamonds (for a total of 0.87 carats). The case is a reasonable 41 mm in size. The Hublot Big Bang Steel Diamonds retails for $16,100 USD.

Luis Figo’s Watch at Ballon d’Or 2022 - Hublot Spirit of Big Bang King Gold

Retired winger Luis Figo, who played for Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, was on hand at the Ballon d’Or to present the Club of the Year Award to Manchester City F.C. of the English Premier League. Figo was seen wearing a Hublot Spirit of Big Bang King Gold Ref. 642.OM.0180.RX. This unique Hublot features a 42 mm tonneau shaped case with skeleton dial. The watch features a chronograph as well as a black ceramic bezel on a rose gold case. The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang King Gold retails for $39,900 USD.

Alexia Putellas’ Watch at Ballon d’Or 2022 - Hublot Classic Fusion King Gold Diamonds

Spanish footballer Alexia Putellas, who plays midfielder for Barcelona, was on hand to accept the Ballon d'Or Féminin (or Women’s Ballon d’Or) for the best season by a women footballer. While accepting her award, Putellas was wearing a Hublot Classic Fusion King Gold Diamonds Ref. 565.OX.1480.RX.1204. This Hublot features a rose gold case, with a bezel set with 36 diamonds as well as a black sunray dial. The Hublot Classic Fusion King Gold Diamonds retails for $22,300 USD.

Sadio Mané Watch at Ballon d’Or 2022 - Rolex Datejust 41 with Fluted Bezel and Jubilee Bracelet

2022 was the first year that the Ballon d’Or presented the Socrates Award, which is described as awarded to the best social initiative by committed champions. This inaugural humanitarian award was given to Senegalese footballer Sadio Mane. Mané, a forward for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, was presented with the inaugural award because he had been helping improve conditions of his home region of Senegal for years, through building schools, a hospital and other infrastructure. Mané, the current African Men’s Player of the Year, is also the global ambassador for children’s aid organization Right To Play.

Mané was seen wearing the classic Rolex Datejust with fluted bezel, jubilee bracelet and black sunburst dial to the 2022 Ballon d’Or. The Datejust 41 Ref. 126334-0018 retails for $10,500 USD.