Karim Benzema aka KB9 is the first Frenchman to win the Ballon d’Or after Zinedine Zidane and Micheal Platini. Before Benzema, Zidane was the last Frenchman to win the Ballon D’or in 1998. Here’s to how deservingly Benzema won the Ballon D’or in 2022
KB9 wins 66th Balloon D’or
Karim Mostafa Benzema won the 66th Ballon D’or in Paris last night after an exquisite 2021-2022 season. In 46 appearances, Benzema scored 44 goals and assisted 15 times in 46 games. He averaged just 66.5 minutes for individual goal contributions. Benzema showcased that he is still one of the best strikers in the world.
“Age is just a number”, said the Ballon D’or winner during the presentation ceremony. KB9 has raised the bar of his game after the 5 times Ballon D’or winner Cristiano Ronaldo left the white side of Madrid for Juventus in 2018.
Benzema has been carrying the team and has helped Real Madrid to lift 7 trophies since the departure of the Portuguese. 1 Club World Cup, 2 La Ligas, 2 Spanish Super Cups, 1 UCL, and 1 UEFA Super Cup. Last season, Benzema was the main character of the last season’s success story of Real Madrid, winning the UCL, La Liga, and the Spanish Super Cup in one season. He has been very reliable since Ronaldo left the white side of Madrid for Juventus in Italy.
Benzema won the number one ranking in the Ballon D’or while Sadio Mane managed to rack up the 2nd position. The Belgian Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne came 3rd in the rankings. Benzema was destined to win this year’s edition of the Ballon D’or due to his extravagant individual performances on the pitch, especially in the Champions League. Back-to-back hat tricks against PSG and Chelsea, scoring the winners against all the knockout stage opponents – PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City.
In this UCL campaign, the Frenchman scored 15 goals and was the talisman of the 2021-22 season. He also won the Pichichi Award which is awarded to the highest goal scorer of the season. Benzema also carried the French team and won the UEFA Nations League after beating Spain 2-1 in the finals where the goal scorers for the French side were Kylian Mbappe and the man of the moment Karim Benzema.
Sadio Mane left Liverpool earlier this during the Summer transfer window and chose the Champions of Germany – Bayern Munich. Sadio Mane carried Liverpool towards 3 cup finals, he managed to win both the domestic cups, the FA Cup, and the Carabao Cup but lost the UCL against Karim Benzema’s Real Madrid in Paris.
The off-field contributions of the Senegalese player were recognized and presented with a brand-new medal honoring the legacy of the legendary Brazilian athlete Socrates. Kevin De Bruyne finished third while ex-Bayern Munich star now at Barcelona, Robert Lewandowski finished a rank behind the Belgian.
KB9 is said to be proud of his journey of winning the Ballon d’Or. He faced many difficulties in his life off the pitch. He was banned from the France national team for five and a half years after being implicated in a blackmail controversy involving teammate Mathieu Valbuena’s sex tape.
A judge eventually suspended his prison term and fined him 75,000 euros ($73,848). He is back in the French team setup and is prepared to defend the title his country won in 5 2018. The soon-to-be 35-year-old in November is set to represent the French team in the upcoming World Cup next month. The World Cup is set to be held in the Gulf Nation of Qatar and will commence in mid-November. The French side is all set to defend the title.
