Real Madrid and France forward, Karim Benzema has been awarded the 2022 Player of the Year Ballon d’Or award on Monday night in Paris.
This is the first time in the professional career of the 34-year-old that he is receiving the award, after finishing top three in the previous years.
This year, he edged past rivals Kevin De Bruyne, Sadio Mane and Robert Lewandoski to clinch the 66th Ballon d’Or award since its inception.
The award presentation was done by his former coach, Zinedine Zidane at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France
Benzema after the presentation of the award noted that he is always inspired by Zizou and Christiano Ronaldo.
It will be recalled that the Real Madrid forward finished as top scorer in La Liga and in the 2021/2022 UEFA Champions League season, where he won both competitions.
In celebration of the award, Real Madrid posted on their official English Twitter: “It had to be @Benzema #ballondor 2022.”
