Benzema Wins 2022 Ballon d’Or Award

Femi Solaja with agency report

Karim Benzema has won the Ballon d’Or for the first time in his career.

The Frenchman becomes only the second player aside from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to win the award since 2008. Benzema’s Real Madrid team-mate Luka Modric won the prize in 2018.

Sadio Mane, who moved from Liverpool to Bayern Munich last summer, came second while Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne finished in third.

Robert Lewandowski, who was widely tipped to be one of the frontrunners for the prize, came fourth in the vote.

“There was a difficult period where I wasn’t in the French team but I never stopped working hard or gave up,” Benzema said on stage last night.

“Really proud of my journey here. It wasn’t easy it was difficult. To be here today for the first time, I am happy, pleased for my work and want to keep going.

“I want to thank all my team-mates at Real Madrid and France and my coach and the Real Madrid president who is here this evening and also the support of Jean-Michel Aulas (Lyon president).

“There are a lot of people to thank. It is an individual prize but still a collective one because of everyone who played a role in it.”

Aged 34, Benzema is the oldest Ballon d’Or winner since Stanley Matthews in 1956.