Karim Benzema is World Footballer of the Year

The race for this year's "Golden Ball" was not at all easy. Vying for the outstanding award this year were such top players as Portuguese superstar Christiano Ronaldo, England captain Harry Kane, French striker Kylian Mbappé, Croatia's Luca Modric, Robert Lewandowski, who was awarded UEFA's Golden Boot in 2021 and Europe's Footballer of the Year in 2020, and Belgian superkicker Kevin de Bruyne. However, 44 goals in 46 competitive matches scored by Karim Benzema for Real Madrid, thus securing victory in the Spanish championship, as well as winning the 2022 Champions League, were decisive for the award of the Ballon d'Or 2022. And what an honor it must have been to receive the trophy from Zinédine Zidane ("Zizou"), himself a multiple FIFA World Player of the Year and winner of the Ballon d'Or, World Champion and European Champion in 1998 and 2000, who, like him, comes from an Algerian immigrant family. In his speech, Benzema referred to Zidane and the Brazilian striker Ronaldo, himself a multiple FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or winner, who have always been his role models. Karim Benzema has always struggled with his performances in recent years. He was considered a super talent, but could not always translate his talent into goals. In 2022, he simply performed well and scored goal after goal, propelling his team to victory like no other player in Europe. The award is therefore more than deserved.

In the women's competition, Alexia Putellas, who plays midfield for Barcelona's women, picked up the honorary trophy. This is the second time in a row she has won the Ballon d'Or, having previously been honored with it in 2021. Among the younger players, Barcelona's midfielder Gavi, Pablo Martín Páez Gavira, was awarded the Kopa trophy as the best U21 player.

All in all, it was a festive evening, with a star-studded line-up of football greats and international celebrities, presenting the deserving winners of the Ballon d'Or 2022 in front of millions of spectators.