- Blancos striker scored 44 goals last season
- Claimed domestic & European titles
- Eighth Real Madrid player to win a Golden Ball
WHAT HAPPENED?
The France international enjoyed a remarkable 2021-22 campaign at Santiago Bernabeu, with a stunning 44-goal haul helping Los Blancos to La Liga and Champions League titles. The 34-year-old found the target on 27 occasions in the Spanish top flight last season and 15 times in European competition.
THE BIGGER PICTURE:
Benzema has been a revelation for Madrid, helping to fill the void created by Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure in 2018 while also taking on captaincy duties following Sergio Ramos’ move to Paris Saint-Germain. He has now been recognised as the world’s best by his peers, with competition from the likes of Mohamed Salah, Robert Lewandowski, Sadio Mane, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland seen off to land the prestigious Golden Ball.
What are the Ballon d’Or awards?
Karim Benzema Wins Ballon d’Or 2022
Karim Benzema.
There are a total of seven awards that will be handed out on Monday. The Gerd Muller Trophy and Club of the Year were awarded for the first time in 2021.
- Men’s Ballon d’Or (Player of the Year): Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
- Women’s Ballon d’Or (Player of the Year): Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
- Kopa Trophy (Best Under-21 men’s player): Gavi (Barcelona)
- Yashin Trophy (Best men’s goalkeeper): Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
- Gerd Muller Trophy (best striker): Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
- Socrates Award (recognizing player acts of solidarity): Sadio Mane (Bayern)
- Club of the Year (a club with the most Ballon d’Or nominees): Manchester City
Ballon d’Or final results (Men)
The ranking reveals started well before the formal ceremony kicks off. They leave the top 10 for the formal ceremony.
Here are the 4 players that are left to be ranked: Benzema, De Bruyne, Lewandowski, and Mane.
| Final Rank | Name | Position | Club | National Team |
| 1. | Karim Benzema | FW | Real Madrid | France |
| 2. | Sadio Mane | FW | Liverpool / Bayern Munich | Senegal |
| 3. | Kevin De Bruyne | MF | Man City | Belgium |
| 4. | Robert Lewandowski | FW | Bayern Munich / Barcelona | Poland |
| 5. | Mohamed Salah | FW | Liverpool | Egypt |
| 6. | Kylian Mbappe | FW | PSG | France |
| 7. | Thibaut Courtois | GK | Real Madrid | Belgium |
| 8. | Vinicius Jr. | FW | Real Madrid | Brazil |
| 9. | Luka Modric | MF | Real Madrid | Croatia |
| 10. | Erling Haaland | FW | Man City | Norway |
| 11. | Son Heung-min | FW | Tottenham | South Korea |
| 12. | Riyad Mahrez | FW | Man City | Algeria |
| 13. | Sebastien Haller | FW | Ajax / B. Dortmund | Ivory Coast |
| 14. | Fabinho | MF | Liverpool | Brazil |
| 15 | Rafael Leao | FW | AC Milan | Portugal |
| 16. | Virgil van Dijk | DF | Liverpool | Netherlands |
| 17. | Casemiro | MF | Real Madrid | Brazil |
| 18 | Dusan Vlahovic | FW | Juventus | Serbia |
| 19 | Luis Diaz | FW | Liverpool | Colombia |
| 20. | Cristiano Ronaldo | FW | Man United | Portugal |
| 21. | Harry Kane | FW | Tottenham | England |
| 22. | Trent Alexander-Arnold | DF | Liverpool | England |
| 23 | Phil Foden | FW | Man City | England |
| 24 | Bernardo Silva | MF | Man City | Portugal |
| 25. | Joshua Kimmich | MF | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| 26 | Mike Maignan | GK | AC Milan | France |
| 27 | Antonio Rudiger | DF | Chelsea / Real Madrid | Germany |
| 28 | Joao Cancelo | DF | Man City | Portugal |
| 29 | Christopher Nkunku | FW | RB Leipzig | France |
| 30 | Darwin Nunez | FW | Benfica / Liverpool | Uruguay |
2022 Ballon d’Or final results Women
| Final Rank | Name | Position | Club | National Team |
| 1. | Alexia Putellas | MF | Barcelona | Spain |
| 2. | Beth Mead | FW | Arsenal | England |
| 3. | Sam Kerr | FW | Chelsea | Australia |
| 4. | Lena Oberdorf | MF | VfL Wolfsburg | Germany |
| 5. | Aitana Bonmati | MF | Barcelona | Spain |
| 6. | Alexandra Popp | FW | VfL Wolfsburg | Germany |
| 7. | Ada Hegerberg | FW | Lyon | Norway |
| 8. | Wendie Renard | DF | Lyon | France |
| 9. | Catarina Macario | MF/FW | Lyon | USA |
| 10. | Lucy Bronze | DF | Manchester City (now Barcelona) | England |
| 11. | Vivianne Miedema | FW | Arsenal | Netherlands |
| 12. | Christiane Endler | GK | Lyon | Chile |
| 13. | Alex Morgan | FW | Orlando Pride (now San Diego Wave) | USA |
| 14; | Selma Bacha | DF | Lyon | France |
| 15. | Millie Bright | DF | Chelsea | England |
| 16. | Marie-Antoinette Katoto | FW | PSG | France |
| 17. | Asisat Oshoala | FW | Barcelona | Nigeria |
| 18. | Trinity Rodman | FW | Washington Spirit | USA |
| 19. | Fridolina Rolfo | FW | Barcelona | Sweden |
| 20. | Kadidiatou Diani | FW | PSG | France |
2022 Kopa Trophy final rankings (Under-21)
| Final Rank | Name | Position | Club | National Team |
| 1. | Gavi | MF | Barcelona | Spain |
| 2. | Eduardo Camavinga | MF | Real Madrid | France |
| 3. | Jamal Musiala | MF | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| 4. | Jude Bellingham | MF | Borussia Dortmund | England |
| 5. | Nuno Mendes | DF | PSG | Portugal |
| 6. | Josko Gvardiol | DF | RB Leipzig | Croatia |
| Ryan Gravernberch | MF | Ajax | Netherlands | |
| 8. | Bukayo Saka | FW | Arsenal | England |
| 9. | Karim Adeyemi | FW | Borussia Dortmund | Germany |
| 10. | Florian Wirtz | MF | Bayer Leverkusen | Germany |
2022 Yashin Trophy final rankings (Goalkeeper)
| Final Rank | Name | Position | Club | National Team |
| 1. | Thibaut Courtois | GK | Real Madrid | Belgium |
| 2. | Alisson Becker | GK | Liverpool | Brazil |
| 3. | Ederson | GK | Manchester City | Brazil |
| 4. | Edouard Mendy | GK | Chelsea | Senegal |
| 5. | Mike Maignan | GK | AC Milan | France |
| 6. | Kevin Trapp | GK | Eintracht Frankfurt | Germany |
| 7. | Manuel Neuer | GK | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| 8. | Jan Oblak | GK | Atletico Madrid | Slovenia |
| 9. | Yassine Bounou | GK | Sevilla | Morocco |
| 10. | Hugo Lloris | GK | Tottenham Hotspur | France |