Real Madrid striker, Karim Benzema has been announced winner of the 2022 Ballon d’Or Award.
Benzema winning the Ballon d’Or is not a surprise as the France international enjoyed a remarkable 2021-22 campaign at Santiago Bernabeu, with a stunning 44-goal haul helping Los Blancos to La Liga and Champions League titles. The 34-year-old found the target on 27 occasions in the Spanish top flight last season and 15 times in European competition.
Interestingly, serial winner Leo Messi was not even nominated for the award, while five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo was placed at No. 20 on the list. With that, Benzema caps off a season in which he registered some 38 goals and more importantly helped his team to their 14th UEFA Champions League title – the most won by any team in history.
Who is Benzema?
Born back in 1987 to Algerian parents in Lyon, France, Benzema began his senior career with hometown club Olympique Lyonnais in 2005. Though not initially the talisman of the club, his contributions were central to Lyon’s three Ligue 1 titles. Eventually, Benzema’s star would begin to rise and in 2008 he was named the league’s Player of the Year and included in the Team of the Year after finishing as the league’s top scorer. The following year (2009), Benzema would go on to break the French transfer record when he was signed by Real Madrid to the tune of €35 million.
