Karim Benzema, the french footballer and Real Madrid striker, has won the Men’s Ballon d’Or 2022 after scoring 44 goals and 15 assists in the previous season. With an outstanding performance in the Spanish league named La Liga and UEFA champions league, he is the oldest player to win Balon d’Or after Stanley Mathews in 1956.
During the event, he said, ” Age is just a number. It was my childhood dream to win this award. Players began to plan their retirement in these years, but I still have a burning desire. I still want to play for my club Real Madrid and France’s national football team and win more trophies with my teammates”.
Benzema won the Ballon d’Or at a ceremony in Paris, beating Sadio Mane for second place and Kevin De Bruyne for third. He is the first Frenchman to win the trophy since Zinedine Zidane did in 1998. Benzema also mentioned Zidane, former Real Madrid’s attacking midfielder and coach who led Real Madrid to win three UCL trophies simultaneously. Benzema stated that Zidane and Ronaldo are two motivators in his life who always pushed him to enhance his abilities.
Benzema gave an astonishing performance in the knock-out phase of the UEFA Champions league. He scored five straight goals in the knock-out stage, eliminating Chelsea and going to the finals against Liverpool. It was the second time both teams faced each other in a UCL final. Real Madrid won the UCL final in the 2018-19 season by scoring three goals against Liverpool. Benzema scored an opening goal in the 51’th minute of the game.
Benzema had his best season at Madrid, leading the league in goals and winning the Champions League. He equalled Raul Gonzalez as Madrid’s second-highest scorer behind Cristiano Ronaldo with 44 goals, 15 of which came in Europe’s top championship. He was not a member of France’s World Cup squad in 2018. However, it has been determined that he will represent his nation at the Qatar World Cup in 2022.