By Paul Akalonu
Karim Benzema of Real Madrid was named the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner on Monday night in Paris.
This would be the forward’s first Ballon d’Or award. In previous years, the 34-year-old had never finished in the top three, but today he finished ahead of Kevin De Bruyne, Sadio Mane, and Robert Lewandowski.
Former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane presented the award at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France.
The striker begins to express gratitude, citing Zizou and Ronaldo as inspirations.
In the 2021/22 season, Benzema was the top scorer in both Spain’s La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, as Real Madrid won both competitions.