'You deserve it so much' - Football reacts to Benzema's Ballon d'Or win

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 18 Oct 2022 08:38 BST
• 7 min read

Karim Benzema won the Ballon d’Or for the very first time on Monday evening, capping off a glorious year where he spurred Real Madrid to success in La Liga and the Champions League.

The Frenchman scored 44 goals in the whole of last season – a career best for a single campaign – and he won numerous individual honours earlier in the year to crown his successes.

Benzema was the favourite for the Ballon d’Or heading into the ceremony, with the forward having the performances over the course of the year to back it up.

Now, following his win at the prestigious ceremony, several team-mates, friends and former team-mates have congratulated Benzema for his win on Monday.

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Team-mates and friends react to Benzema's win

His club, Real Madrid, have been praising the captain, claiming the award was meant to be and that it was fully deserved for his contributions to the club over the past year.

Benzema’s former team-mates, Sergio Ramos and Mesut Ozil, also took to Twitter to congratulate their friend, with the former Arsenal star saying that he knew the forward would win the Ballon d’Or one day.

Ozil shared the Real Madrid dressing room with Benzema between 2010 and 2013, while Ramos was with Benzema for much of their successes until the defender left for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.

Casemiro, who left Real Madrid for Manchester United this summer, also said it was an honour to play alongside Benzema in the time they were together in the Spanish capital.

Benzema’s current team-mates also took to Twitter to congratulate Real Madrid’s winners: Toni Kroos heaped praise on him and Thibaut Courtois, who won the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper of this year.

Eduardo Camavinga said this Ballon d’Or win was for the fans, while Benzema’s attacking partner Vinicius Jr. simply described the Frenchman as “the best”.