Karim Benzema wins prestigious Ballon d'Or award for 2022, first Frenchman to achieve feat since 1998

Karim Benzema (Image Source: Twitter)

Karim Benzema, the French footballer and Real Madrid striker, won the Ballon d’Or 2022 award on October 17, Monday, becoming the fifth Frenchman to win it after Zinedine Zidane in 1998. For the unversed, Benzema guided Los Blancos to a UEFA Champions League title and the La Liga title last year.

The talismanic striker is also a winner of the Pichichi award in Spain and the Golden Boot in the UEFA Champions League in the 2021/22 season. Benzema, who was elated with the win, said that the award made him feel proud and added that he never gave up on his dreams.

“The prize in front of me makes me really proud. It's truly an honour. It was a childhood dream. I never gave up. When I was a kid, I had the motivation and I had two role models in my life: Zidane and Ronaldo. There were much more difficult moments for me, when I was not selected (with France) and I did not give up,” Benzema said after winning the award.

Other winners at Ballon d’Or 2022

Apart from the stupendous striker, four other teammates also made it to the Top 30 on the list. His teammate and goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois the famous Yashin award for 2022 in Paris for his incredible run with the gloves of late. The star from Belgium registered 22 clean sheets in the last season and conceded 46 goals in 52 appearances as well. He finished seventh while Vinicius Jr. and Luka Modric finished eighth and ninth on the prestigious list.

Benzema’s other team, Antonio Rudiger finished 25th on the list sharing it with five other players. With regard to women, Alexia Putellas from FC Barcelona won the Women’s Ballon d’Or award for 2022 while Gavi won the Kopa Trophy which is given to the best U21 player.

Alongside Benzema, Sadio Mane from Bayern Munich, Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City, Robert Lewandowski from Barcelona and Mohamed Salah from Liverpool completed the Top 5 of the list. The Frenchman also became the second oldest to win the award at the age of 34 since Stanley Matthews won at the age of 41 in 1956.