The 2021-22 season was the best season in his career for the Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema and the Frenchman was honoured with the men's 'best player of the year' award at the Ballon d'Or 2022 ceremony on Monday night at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
Five-time UEFA Champions League (UCL) winner Benzema bagged his first Ballon d'Or award after registering a stellar 2021-22 season with his club and country. The 34-year-old Frenchman scored 44 goals and made 15 assists in his 46 games for Real Madrid across all competitions in the last season.
Benzema also scored in the final of the UEFA Nations League 2020-21 against Spain and was named the man of the match in France's 2-1 victory. Benzema has registered more direct goal contributions than Robert Lewandowski (57), Mohamed Salah (47), Erling Haaland (37) and Ciro Immobile (36) in 2021-22. Karim Benzema was the top scorer in the La Liga with 27 goals and the UCL 2021-22 with 15 goals, which is the joint-third most in any single-season Champions League campaign.
For Real Madrid he is the 12th Ballon d'Or winner while Benzema became the eighth Santiago Bernabeu player to receive the award after Cristiano Ronaldo (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017), Alfredo Di Stefano (1957, 1959), Luka Modric (2018) Fabio Cannavaro (2006), Ronaldo Nazario (2002), Luis Figo (2000) and Raymond Kopa (1958).
Also, Benzema became the fifth Frenchman to bag the men's Ballon d'Or award after Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985), Zinedine Zidane (1998), Jean-Pierre Papin (1991) and Raymond Kopa (1958).