On Monday night in Paris, Karim Benzema of Real Madrid took home the Ballon d’Or trophy for Player of the Year in 2022.
The forward’s first career Ballon d’Or would be this one. The 34-year-old finished today ahead of Robert Lewandowski, Kevin De Bruyne, and Sadio Mane, breaking his previous record of never placing inside the top three.
At the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France, former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane gave the prize. The striker begins by thanking everyone and mentioning Zizou and Ronaldo as role models. Real Madrid won both titles in the 2021–2022 season, and Benzema led all scorers in both the UEFA Champions League and La Liga of Spain.
Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo has won 12 out of the last 13 awards. Luka Modric, a midfielder for Croatia, broke the stranglehold in 2018.
Messi did not qualify for the finals this year, but Ronaldo did. Ronaldo has collected five victories, while Messi has won a record seven times.
@Benzema: "Doy las gracias a los jugadores, a la afición y al presidente porque sin ellos es imposible".#BallondOr pic.twitter.com/pyYDLeQ1en
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) October 18, 2022
