Karim Benzema won the Ballon d'Or for the best player on Monday evening to crown his perfect 2021-2022 season with Real Madrid.
Real's Karim Benzema wins 2022 Ballon d'Or
Real Madrid's French forward Karim Benzema receives the Ballon d'Or award during the 2022 Ballon d'Or France Football award ceremony in Paris on October 17, 2022
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FRANCK FIFE/AFP
Benzema bagged 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 appearances across all competitions for Madrid, 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.
He becomes the first Frenchman to lift the Ballon d'Or since Zinedine Zidane in 1998.
Receiving the trophy from Zidane during a ceremony held at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Benzema was crowned ahead of Senegalese Sadio Mané (Liverpool), the African champion whom he had beaten in the final of the Champions League in May (1-0), and the Belgian Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City).