Real Madrid's Karim Benzema wins Ballon d’Or top honours

On Monday, Real Madrid’s France forward Karim Benzema was named the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner for the finest men’s player in the world.

Benzema, who was instrumental in Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph last season, is the first French player to win the trophy since Zinedine Zidane in 1998, and the fifth overall, following Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, and Jean-Pierre Papin.

“This prize in front of me makes me really proud. When I was small, it was a childhood dream, I never gave up… Anything is possible,” Benzema said on stage at the ceremony.

“There was a difficult period when I wasn’t in the French team but I never gave up. I’m really proud of my journey here. It wasn’t easy, it was a difficult time for my family as well.”

After Argentina’s Lionel Messi won the trophy for a record seventh time last year, Real Madrid’s France striker Karim Benzema beat Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, Senegal’s Sadio Mane, and Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne.

Benzema had a fantastic season with Real, scoring 44 goals in 46 games across all competitions to help them win the LaLiga and Champions League double. Real Madrid won their 14th Champions League title thanks to his 15 goals in the competition.

The highlight of their European season was a 3-1 win over PSG in the second leg after the Spanish club had fallen behind 2-0 on aggregate, with Benzema scoring a 17-minute hat-trick in the second half to startle the Ligue 1 side. On Monday, the best men’s player in the world received the Ballon d’Or trophy.