Ballon D’Or 2022 Award Winner, Karim Benzema. He scored 44 goals in 46 matches last season for Real Madrid, who won La Liga and UEFA Champions League.
France Football, The award, given out by the magazine since 1956, was presented to its new owner during a ceremony held at the Chatelet Theater in Paris, France’s capital. The event has hosted by Sandy Heribert and former football star Didier Drogba, who also played for Galatasaray.
Real Madrid Striker Karim Benzema Has Won The Men’s Ballon d’Or 2022
Benzema’s first Golden Ball came after 34 years, and he became the owner of the “Golden Ball.”
His 44 goals in 46 appearances were across all channels, propelling his side to victory.
The UEFA Champions League and the Spanish First Division (La Liga) were crucial in determining the champion.
The 34-year-old scored 44 goals in the past year as Real Madrid won the Champions League, another LaLiga title, and the Spanish and European Super Cups.
In a ceremony in Paris, Benzema was crowned ahead of Sadio Mane in second and Kevin De Bruyne in third, with the striker becoming the first French winner of the Ballon D’Or 2022 since Zinedine Zidane, who presented him with the award in 1998.
The attacker is also the oldest Ballon D’Or winner since Stanley Matthews received the award for the first time in 1956.
“It makes me proud,” Benzema stated. “I never gave up even though it was a childhood goal, as it is for many children. I had two motivations in my life – Zidane and Ronaldo. I’ve always had this belief in my head that everything is possible.”
“There was a difficult period when I wasn’t in the French team, but I never stopped working hard or gave up; I always kept my head, concentrated on playing football, and I’m proud of my journey here. It wasn’t easy. During that time, it was difficult for my family, but to be here today, for the first time, I’m happy & pleased with my work, and I keep going.”
“I’d want to thank my teammates, whether from Real Madrid or the national team, as well as my coach and the Real Madrid president.”
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, tweeted, “KB9! “followed by a French flag. Macron immediately sent a follow-up tweet, writing,
“Two letters and a number that will go down in football history.” Karim Benzema presents the Ballon d’Or 2022 to France 24 years after Zidane. Congratulations, sir!”
🌟 IT HAD TO BE. 🌟
🏆 @Benzema: #ballondor 2022 pic.twitter.com/roM6pqr5A3— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) October 17, 2022
Here is the podium for the 2022 Ballon d’Or 🔝#ballondor pic.twitter.com/lxQN1q8rk4
— Ballon d’Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022
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Beth Mead came in second place in the women’s voting after leading England to victory at Euro 2022.
The Arsenal forward won the tournament’s golden boot and best player honors after scoring six goals and adding five assists.
Sam Kerr of Australia and Chelsea finished third, ahead of Lena Oberdorf of Germany and Wolfsburg. Aitana Bonmat of Barça and Putellas’ Spain rounded out the top five.
Sadio Mané, who joined Bayern Munich from Liverpool this summer, finished second in the men’s poll and received the Socrates award for his charity work in Senegal.
Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City finished third, his best result to date, ahead of Robert Lewandowski and Mohamed Salah.
Lewandowski, who joined Barcelona from Bayern Munich this summer, finished fourth in the men’s rankings and took the Gerd Müller medal as the world’s finest forward.
“I’d want to thank my teammates from Bayern and Barcelona since I know how hard we had to work to achieve the goals,” he stated.
Lionel Messi and Ronaldo missing the Ballon D’or 2022 award
Lionel Messi, who has won the Ballon d’Or a record seven times, was not featured in France Football’s 30-man list released on August 13, 2022.
Individual performance is the first of three primary considerations for the Ballon d’Or award.
As a result, Messi’s absence, while strange given his track record, is not surprising. After joining Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona, he had a disappointing debut season, particularly in goal-scoring.
Paris Saint-Germain did not have a successful season in terms of team performance.
While it won Ligue 1, it was eliminated in Round 16 of the Champions League and the Coupe de France.
Messi appears to have back to his own this season, scoring eight goals and providing eight assists in 14 games for PSG in all competitions.
What Exactly Happened?
The Ballon d’Or honors will have a completely different vibe in 2022, with neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi taking the stage for the first time in 16 years.
Ronaldo finished 20th, his lowest position in 17 years, while Messi was left off the list for the first time since 2005.
Over the previous decade, the two superstars have dominated the award, winning it 12 times each.
KARIM BENZEMA BALLON D’OR 2022
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