Manchester City have been named Club of the Year at the 2022 Ballon d'Or ceremony.
The Citizens have received the award for the first time, after Chelsea won the inaugural accolade last year, and finished ahead of Liverpool in second and Real Madrid in third.
Under the tutelage of manager Pep Guardiola, the senior side enjoyed another impressive campaign in 2021-22, scoring a total of 150 goals across all competitions – more than any other team across Europe.
City were crowned Premier League champions for the fourth time in five seasons, finishing with 93 points and just one clear of title rivals Liverpool in second place.
Guardiola's side also reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and FA Cup, losing out to eventual winners Real Madrid and Liverpool respectively.
Manchester City is the club of the year!
— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022
Congrats @ManCity 💙#clubdelannée #ballondor pic.twitter.com/Xy7rFOiAka
Elsewhere, Manchester City Women, coached by Gareth Taylor, lifted the Continental Cup for the fourth time courtesy of a 3-1 win over Chelsea in the final, while they also reach the Women's FA Cup final, losing out to the Blues on this occasion.
City's Elite Development Squad won the Premier League 2 title for a second successive season under Brian Barry-Murphy, while Ben Wilkinson's Under-18's side retained the Premier League Under-18 North and National titles.
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.
© Reuters
"We will continue to strive for success but today I want everyone connected to Manchester City Football Club to take a step back and feel proud of all we achieved last season."
Man City also saw a total of eight players across the men's and women's teams nominated for individual accolades, more than any other club.
Goalkeeper Ederson ranked third in the Yashin Trophy, while Joao Cancelo (25th), Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden (tied 22nd), Riyad Mahrez (12th), Erling Braut Haaland (10th) and Kevin De Bruyne (3rd) were all ranked within the top 25 for the Men Ballon d'Or. Meanwhile, Lucy Bronze finished 10th in the Women's Ballon d'Or rankings.
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema won the Men's Ballon d'Or award for the first time, while Barcelona's Alexia Putellas won the Women's Ballon d'Or award for the second year running.
Oliver Thomas
