The dream has come true for Karim Benzema, who has been crowned the 2022 Ballon d’Or for the first time. The 34-year-old Real Madrid star had an absolutely brilliant season as he led Los Blancos to the La Liga and Champions League double.
Players from Spanish clubs also snagged other awards on the night. Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas won the Women’s Ballon d’Or for the second straight year, while club-mates Gavi and Robert Lewandowski also got their hands on some hardware.
Read on below as SBOTOP rounds up all the big Ballon d’Or 2022 news.
Karim Benzema wins maiden Ballon d’Or
Karim Benzema has won the Ballon d’Or for the first time in his career as he finished ahead of finalists Sadio Mane, Kevin de Bruyne, and Robert Lewandowski in the voting.
The 34-year-old became the oldest Ballon d’Or winner since Sir Stanley Matthews in 1956, and he also became to first Frenchman to claim the award since Zinedine Zidane in 1998.
The Ballon d’Or 2022 odds overwhelmingly had Benzema as the favourite to win after his remarkable 2021-22 season. He scored 44 goals – the most he’s ever scored in a single season – to lead Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double.
Of Benzema’s 44 goals, 15 came in the Champions League – tied for the third-most a single campaign – as Los Blancos were crowned European champions for a record-extending 14th time.
“I’m really proud, it’s a lot of work and a kid’s dream come true,” Benzema said.
“There were much more difficult moments for me, when I was not selected [with France] and I did not give up.
“I am really proud of my career. This is the Golden Ball of the people.”
Alexia Putellas repeats as women’s Ballon d’Or winner
On the women’s side, Spain and Barcelona star Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d’Or for a second straight year, edging out England’s European Championship winner Beth Mead and Australia’s Sam Kerr.
“To retain the trophy is much harder,” Putellas said on Monday. “When I injured my knee I thought my chances of winning it had gone but in the end the jury based their decision on the whole of last season, of which I only missed one month.”
Putellas had another terrific season as she finished as the top scorer in the Champions League last season with 11 goals and scored 18 in the Primera Division. Unfortunately, her Barca side lost 3-1 to Lyon in the Champions League final.
Putellas then suffered more disappointment as she missed the Euros after suffering an ACL injury right before the tournament. But she is making progress with her rehab and is hoping to play again this season.
Lewy, Gavi, and Courtois all claim awards
Benzema and Putellas were not the only Real Madrid and Barcelona players who went home with awards.
The Barca duo of Robert Lewandowski and Gavi were also among the winners. The former was given the Gerd Muller Award for the top striker of the year, while the latter claimed the Kopa Award as the best under-21 player of the year.
Lewandowski, who is now at Barcelona, was fantastic in his final season for Bayern Munich, scoring an astounding 50 goals in all competitions. He also won the European Golden Boot for the second straight year and was the Bundesliga’s top scorer for an unprecedented fifth straight season to tie Muller’s record of seven Torjägerkanones.
As for Gavi, he broke into the Barcelona first team last season at just 17 years 24 days old, becoming the fourth youngest player to appear for Barca in La Liga. He quickly established himself as a regular starter under Xavi, starting 28 of his 34 La Liga games, scoring two goals and providing five assists.
And last but not least, Thibaut Courtois collected the Yashin Trophy as the top goalkeeper. The Real Madrid No 1 conceded just 29 goals in La Liga. He was also instrumental in Real’s run to the Champions League final, where he was voted Player of the Match after making nine saves against Liverpool.
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