French and Real Madrid star, Karim Benzema has won the 2022 edition of the world footballer of the year award, popularly called the Ballon D’or.
This would be the forward’s first Ballon d’Or of his largely successful career.
The award is coming on the back of an illustrious season with Real Madrid, in which the striker led the team to both the Primera Liga and UEFA champions league titles.
The 34-year-old, who had never finished inside the top three in previous years, edged Kevin De Bruyne, Sadio Mane and Robert Lewandoski to the coveted prize.
The award was presented by former Real Madrid’s coach Zinedine Zidane at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France.
The striker offered words of thanks and cites Zizou and Ronaldo, labelling them as inspirations to his footballing career.
Benzema is the first french player since Zinedine Zidane to win the global prize.
