Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has gained the boys’s Ballon d’Or for 2022.
The 34-year-old managed 44 targets in 46 matches final season as Real gained the Champions League, one other LaLiga title together with the Spanish and European Super Cups.
Benzema was topped in a ceremony in Paris forward of Sadio Mane in second and Kevin De Bruyne in third – with the striker turning into the primary French winner of the Ballon D’Or since Zinedine Zidane – who offered him the award – in 1998.
The striker can be the oldest Ballon D’Or winner since Stanley Matthews gained the primary version of the prize in 1956.
“It makes me really proud,” mentioned Benzema. “All the work I did, I by no means gave up. It was a childhood dream like all children [have]. I had two motivations in my life – Zidane and Ronaldo. I’ve all the time had this dream in my thoughts that something is feasible.
“There was a difficult period where I wasn’t in the French team, but I never stopped working hard nor gave up. I always kept my head, concentrated on playing football and I’m really proud of my journey here. It wasn’t easy, it was a difficult time. It was hard for my family as well. To be here today, for the first time for me, I’m happy and pleased with my work and I keep going.
“I wish to thank my team-mates, whether or not it is Real Madrid or the nationwide crew. My coach, due to him as effectively. The Real Madrid president as effectively.
“I have a lot of people to thank. It’s an individual prize, but it’s a collective one because everyone has played a role.”
Putellas wins girls’s Ballon D’Or
How did the Premier League stars fare?
De Bruyne was voted the very best ranked participant at the moment taking part in in England, with the Manchester City midfielder ending third.
There was no success for Cristiano Ronaldo, as he needed to accept twentieth place on this 12 months’s Ballon D’Or honours board – the bottom place the Manchester United ahead has been ranked on this prize since 2005.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah was voted because the fifth-best participant, forward of PSG’s Kylian Mbappe and Champions League match-winner Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid.
Manchester City ahead Erling Haaland completed in tenth place, only one place forward of Tottenham’s Heung-Min Son and two over present membership team-mate Riyad Mahrez.
Liverpool duo Fabinho and Virgil van Dijk completed in 14th and sixteenth place respectively, whereas Luis Diaz, Casemiro, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Darwin Nunez and Joao Cancelo made up the remainder of the 25-man shortlist.
Other winners
The girls’s award went to Barcelona star Alexia Putellas, who pipped runner-up Beth Mead of England to the prize after guiding the Catalan membership to the Spanish title with a 100 per cent factors tally.
Manchester City have been named Club of the Year on the Paris ceremony after successful their fourth Premier League title in 5 seasons, beating runners-up Liverpool and Real Madrid to the prize.
Source: information.sky.com”