Karim Benzema, a forward for Real Madrid, was named the best male player in the world for 2022 on Monday, while Alexia Putellas, a midfielder for Barcelona, was named the best female player for a second time.
Benzema is the first French player to win the trophy since Zinedine Zidane in 1998
Benzema is the first French player to win the trophy since Zinedine Zidane in 1998 and the fifth overall after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, and Jean-Pierre Papin. He was instrumental in Real’s run to the Champions League title last season.
“This prize in front of me makes me really proud. When I was small, it was a childhood dream, I never gave up… Anything is possible,” Benzema said on stage at the ceremony.
“There was a difficult period when I wasn’t in the French team but I never gave up. I’m really proud of my journey here. It wasn’t easy, it was a difficult time for my family as well.”
Benzema beat Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, Sadio Mane of Senegal and Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne after Argentina’s Lionel Messi won the award for a record seventh time last year.
With 44 goals in 46 games across all competitions, Benzema had an outstanding season with Real, helping them win the LaLiga and Champions League double. He scored 15 goals in the Champions League, helping Real win a record-breaking 14th championship.
Real made incredible comebacks from deficits against Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Manchester City in the round of 16, quarterfinals, and semifinals, respectively. Benzema scored in each of those second legs.
The highlight of their European campaign was their 3-1 victory over PSG in the return leg when the Spanish club was trailing 2-0 overall. Benzema scored a hat-trick in the final 17 minutes to shock the Ligue 1 team.
Defeating Beth Mead of England, who won the European Championship, and Sam Kerr of Australia, Spanish international Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or for a second consecutive year.
Alexia Putellas wins second successive women’s Ballon d’Or
Alexia Putellas, who earlier this year won the FIFA Best Women’s Player award, led all scorers with 11 goals in the Champions League and had 18 goals in the Primera Division last season.
However, the 28-year-old missed the Euros for Spain because she injured her anterior cruciate ligament before the competition in England.
The Best Club award went to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City
Thibaut Courtois of Real won the Lev Yashin award for the best goalkeeper after making nine saves in the final against Liverpool to preserve a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory in Paris.
The Best Club award, however, went to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, which won its fourth Premier League championship in five years.
Gavi, an 18-year-old midfielder for Barcelona, won the Kopa Trophy for the best player under 21 while Sadio Mane, a forward for Bayern Munich, took home the first-ever Socrates award for his humanitarian work.
Lewandowski, who scored 50 goals for Bayern last season across all competitions, took home the Gerd Muller Trophy for the best striker.