Posted in Ballon d'Or, Karim Benzema, Real Madrid

Benzema won the men’s Ballon d’Or 2022 award!

 October 17, 2022

Karim Benzema won the men’s Ballon d’Or 2022 award in Paris on Monday to cap off an incredible 2021-22 European football season. The Real Madrid striker also became the first Frenchman to claim the award since Zinedine Zidane did in 1998. Benzema led Madrid to the Champions League and La Liga titles last season.

He scored 44 goals in 46 matches, including 15 in the Champions League. Some of the 34-year-old’s major exploits included a 17-minute second-half hat-trick against PSG in the round of 16 of Champions League,

and then another away vs Chelsea in the quarter-final first leg. He also found the back of the net thrice over both legs of the semi-final fixture against Manchester City.

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After receiving the award, Benzema said,

“This makes me really proud, all the work I did, I never gave up”.

“I had two role models in my life, Zidane and Ronaldo as well. I always had this dream in my mind that everything’s possible. There was a difficult period where I wasn’t in the French team but I worked hard and never gave up,

kept my head down and enjoyed playing football.”

“I’m really proud of my journey here,

it wasn’t easy, it was difficult,

for me and my family. To be here today, the first time for me. I am just really, really happy,

thanks to my teammates, with Real Madrid and the national team”, he further added.

was named UEFA Player of the Year in August this year. He has also made his way back into the national team after being frozen out for five and a half years due to a sextape blackmail scandal involving Mathieu Valbuena. He will be hoping to lead France’s FIFA World Cup title defence this year.

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Cristiano Ronaldo finished a poor 20th,

along with Tottenham’s Harry Kane (21st). Last year’s Ballon d’Or Lionel Messi wasn’t even nominated this time after a disappointing debut season with PSG. Other than Benzema, three other Real Madrid players made it to the Ballon d’Or list; Vinicius Jr,

Luka Modric, Thibaut Courtois and Casemiro (17th, now at Manchester United). Meanwhile, Riyad Mahrez came in 12th place and Luis Diaz ranked 17th in the standings. Also, young Phil Foden finished in 22nd position, with Manchester City teammate Bernardo Silva in 22nd.

Karim Benzema of Real Madrid won the 2022 Men’s Ballon d’Or award at the ceremony held in the Theatre du Chatalet in Paris on Tuesday.

Benzema was the favourite to win the award this year after winning the La Liga and Champions League with Real Madrid last season.

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In the 2021-22 La Liga season,

he finished as the top scorer with 27 goals. Benzema also excelled in Madrid’s Champions League winning run finishing as the competitions top-scorer with 15.

Overall,

the forward scored 44 goals and bagged 15 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions.

It was not just the goals that paved way for Benzema’s first Ballon d’Or. One of the three main criteria for winning the award is ‘team performance’ and that is where Benzema excelled last season.

His clutch performances in the Champions League

was a crucial factor in Madrid winning the Champions League for a record 14th-time.

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Benzema scored 10 goals last season in the knockout phase of the Champions League,

which included successive hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain in the Round-of-16 second leg match and Chelsea in the quarterfinal first-leg match.

He also scored three goals over two legs against Manchester City in the semifinals that helped Madrid beat City 6-5 on aggregate.

The French forward was in inspired form throughout the 2021/22 season, leading Los Blancos to both domestic and continental glory.

Benzema bagged 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 appearances across all competitions for Madrid in, averaging a goal contribution every 66.4 minutes as the club won La Liga and yet another UEFA Champions League trophy.

His form in the Champions League, in particular, is what has made him a worthy winner of the Ballon d’Or in 2022. The 34-year-old scored 15 goals in that competition alone, with 10 of those coming in the knockout rounds alone.

Highlights of that Champions League campaign for Benzema included his remarkable hat-trick against PSG to earn his side a miraculous comeback win, and a few key goals against Manchester City in the semi final.

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