Prize
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, winner of the Champions League, was awarded the prestigious Ballon d’Or for the first time. The 34-year-old Frenchman received the award on Monday in Paris, beating Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane and Belgian Manchester City Kevin De Bruyne.
Benzema is the first Frenchwoman to win the award after Zinedine Zidane in 1998. FC Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas has again received the Ballon d’Or for women. The Spaniard is currently absent due to a cruciate ligament injury which she suffered little before the Europeans in the summer.
David Alaba’s teammate Benzema excelled in Madrid’s premier class triumph last season. He has scored ten of his 15 goals in top club competition in the knockout stage, starting with his hat-trick in the round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain.
Ballon d’Or goes to Benzema
Real Madrid star Karim Benzema won the Ballon d’Or as World Player of the Year for the first time on Monday. The 34-year-old Frenchman prevailed ahead of Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne.
“It was a childhood dream of mine”
In the quarter-final second leg against Chelsea, the Frenchman secured qualification with his extra time goal. In the semi-finals, Manchester City scored three more goals with an extra-time penalty to reach the final.
“It was a childhood dream of mine. I grew up with this in mind. It motivated me because I have had role models in my life like Zizou and Ronaldo,” said Benzema, who received the trophy from Zidane.
Lewandowski’s top scorer
Last year Lionel Messi won the award ahead of Robert Lewandowski (then Bayern), who drew great criticism internationally. Like the previous year, the Pole, who now plays for FC Barcelona, won the Gerd Müller Trophy as top scorer.
The Golden Ball does not replace the choice of the world footballer. This will continue to be organized by FIFA. From 2010 to 2015, the world footballer was awarded the Ballon d’Or thanks to the collaboration between FIFA and “France Football”.
This time the award for the best U21 player went to the Spaniard Gavi of FC Barcelona. Mane received the Socrates Award for his social commitment. He received the award for projects in his homeland of Senegal.
