Karim Benzema wins 2022 Ballon d'Or

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
• 4 min read

Karim Benzema has won the men’s Ballon d’Or for 2022 after an impressive year for Real Madrid, guiding them to success in La Liga and the Champions League.

The Frenchman scored 44 goals throughout last season – the best record of his career – and contributed heavily to domestic and continental successes.

Sadio Mane, who joined Bayern Munich from Liverpool in the summer came second, while Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne came third.

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Benzema scored important goals in Champions League wins over Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City, becoming the top scorer of last season’s competition.

In La Liga, he won the Pichichi Award as well – given to the league’s top scorer – in what was his first such honour following a season where he netted 27 times.

Benzema claims first Ballon d'Or

Benzema was the favourite for the award for a long time following his impressive season, and he adds the Ballon d’Or to his earlier prize: the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, which he won in August.

The Frenchman has also started this campaign in fine form, netting five goals in 10 matches across all competitions, with his most recent goal being the opener against Barcelona in El Clasico on Sunday.

With this win, Benzema becomes the fourth Frenchman to win the prestigious award, and the first since Zinedine Zidane in 1998. He follows Raymond Kopa and Michel Platini in winning the award.

He is also the eighth Real Madrid player to win football’s biggest individual prize – Los Blancos have hosted the most winners in history – and the first since Luka Modric in 2018.

Additionally, Benzema is the first forward not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d’Or since Andriy Shevchenko’s win in 2004, when the Ukrainian star was still at Milan.

What is the 2022 Ballon d’Or top 10?

Who won 2022 Yashin Award?

The Yashin Award is given to the best goalkeeper of the year and was won by Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid.

The award was created in 2019 and Courtois beat previous winners Alisson of Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain's Gianluigi Donnarumma to the prize.

Who won 2022 Kopa trophy?

The Kopa Trophy is given to the best-performing player under the age of 21 and has been won by Barcelona’s emerging midfielder, Gavi.

The runner-up was Eduardo Camavinga of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala came third.

The award was created in 2018 and previous winners include Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe, Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt and last year's winner, Pedri of Barcelona.

Who won 2022 Women’s Ballon d’Or?

The Women’s Ballon d’Or is given to the best performing female player of the year and was won by Alexia Putellas.

The award was created in 2018 and previous winners include Lyon forward Ada Hegerberg, Megan Rapinoe of OL Reign and Barcelona icon Putellas.