French striker, Karim Benzema has been crowned best player at the 66th 2022 Ballon d’Or awards.
Benzema won the Ballon d’Or in an event that took place at the Theatre Chatelet in Paris on Monday.
The Real Madrid striker finished ahead of Sadio Mane, Kevin De Bruyne, Sadio Mane, Robert Lewandoski and Mohammed Salah.
Benzema became the fifth Frenchman to win the coveted individual honor in world football.
Either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo won 12 of the last 13 Ballon d’Ors – with Real Madrid’s Luka Modric winning as the sole outlier in 2018.
But Messi was not even nominated for the 2022 award, while Ronaldo finished 20th this year.
Last season Benzema scored 44 goals in 46 games and provided 15 assists. He was the top scorer in La Liga and top scorer in the UEFA Champions League.
