Star striker Karim Benzema has been awarded the prestigious Ballon d’Or for the year 2022 for the first time. The goalscorer from Champions League winners Real Madrid received the honor on Monday in Paris and won the vote ahead of Bayern striker Sadio Mané and Belgian Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City. Last year, Lionel Messi won ahead of Bundesliga top scorer Robert Lewandowski, which caused great criticism internationally. As in the previous year, the Pole, who now plays for FC Barcelona, was awarded the Gerd Müller trophy for the best scorer.
Benzema had towered over Real’s premier class triumph last season. The Frenchman scored ten of his 15 goals in the Champions League in the knockout stages – starting with the hat-trick in the round of 16 once morest Paris Saint-Germain. In the quarter-final second leg once morest Chelsea, the Frenchman secured progress with his goal in extra time. In the semi-finals, Manchester City once more scored three goals with a penalty in extra time to reach the final.
