Real Madrid striker, Karim Benzema has won his first career Ballon d’Or becoming the second oldest player to win the award at age 34.
He is also the oldest since Englishman Stanley Matthews who won the very first award in 1956 at age 41.
The Frenchman was rewarded for a magical 2021/22 season in which his team won both Spain’s La Liga and the UEFA Champions League and he finished as the top scorer in both competitions.
He also won the UEFA Nations League with France.
For many it was a foregone conclusion that Benzema would win the award as best player in the world given there was realistically no other player who came close to his achievements. He totaled 44 goals for Real Madrid and another six for France in 2021/22.
Meanwhile, despite sitting out the last few months due to a knee injury, Barcelona star Alexia Putellas claimed her second consecutive women’s Ballon d’Or fighting back tears in her acceptance speech. She admitted she didn’t think the Ballon d’Or would have been possible after missing out on the Euros with Spain.
