BALLON D’OR 2022 – KARIM BENZEMA WINS BALLON D’OR, SADIO MANE SECOND
Karim Benzema is the seventh Frenchman to win the coveted Ballon d’Or, while Alexia Putellas has won the Ballon d’Or Feminin for the second year in a row. Thibaut Courtois was named the season’s finest goalkeeper, and Robert Lewandowski was named the Gerd Muller Trophy as the greatest striker in the world.
Manchester City was named the club of the year.
Karim Benzema has won the Ballon d’Or, becoming only the sixth Frenchman to do so and the oldest winner since Stanley Matthews in 1956 at 34 years old.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had won 12 of the previous 13 Ballon d’Ors, with Real Madrid’s Luka Modric the lone exception in 2018, but Messi was not even nominated for the 2022 prize. This year, Ronaldo ended 20th.
Alexia Putellas of Barcelona won the Ballon d’Or Feminin for the second year in a row.
🏆 Winner of the first ever Socrates Award
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) October 17, 2022
🏅 Second place in the #BallonDor voting
We're proud of you, Sadio! 🇸🇳#MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/bCjgBgeDTZ
— Alexia Putellas (@alexiaputellas) October 17, 2022
My boy Benzi – the best
— Mesut Özil (@M10) October 17, 2022
player in the world 💯👑🤍😍
I've always said you will win this trophy and you deserve it so much 🔥 Proud of you my brother 🤲🏼❤️ #inshAllah #BallonDOr pic.twitter.com/k0BNUqYIsP
KB9 ! 🇫🇷
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 17, 2022
Congratulations @Benzema 💪🏾 #BallonDor pic.twitter.com/I4VFlmhKB5
— Yaya Touré (@YayaToure) October 17, 2022
AWARDS ROUND-UP
Kopa Trophy – Gavi
Club of the Year – Manchester City
Socrates Award – Sadio Mane
Gerd Muller Trophy – Robert Lewandowski
Yashin Trophy – Thibaut Courtois
Ballon d’Or Feminin – Alexia Putellas
Ballon d’Or – Karim Benzema
Zinédine Zidane 🤝✨ Karim Benzema#ballondor pic.twitter.com/BOiZY13ihG
— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022
‘I NEVER GAVE UP’ – BENZEMA
For the first time in his career, Karim Benzema has won the Ballon d’Or.
The Frenchman is only the second player to win the trophy since 2008, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2018, Benzema’s Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric won the award.
Sadio Mane, who joined Bayern Munich from Liverpool last summer, finished second, while Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne finished third.
TOP 25 BEST MALE FOOTBALLERS
=25: Joao Cancelo (Manchester City). Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich). Mike Maignan (AC Milan). Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea / Real Madrid). Darwin Nunez (Benfica – moved to Liverpool). Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
=22: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool). Phil Foden (Manchester City). Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
21: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
20: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus / Manchester United)
=17: Luis Diaz (Porto / Liverpool). Dusan Vlahovic (Fiorentina / Juventus). Casemiro (Real Madrid – moved to Manchester United)
16: Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool)
=14: Rafael Leao (AC Milan). Fabinho (Liverpool)
13: Sebastien Haller (Ajax / Dortmund)
12: Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
11: Son Heung-Min (Tottenham Hotspur)
10. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
9. Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
8. Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
7. Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
6. Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
5. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
4. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich – moved to Barcelona)
3. Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
2. Sadio Mane (Liverpool – moved to Bayern Munich)
1. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
TOP FOUR BALLON D’OR
Sadio Mane is second, Kevin de Bruyne is third, and Robert Lewandowski is fourth! But Benzema is the clear winner! He is the oldest Ballon d’Or winner since Stanley Matthews in 1956, at the age of 34.
BENZEMA IS ‘PROUD OF HIS JOURNEY’
“I’m incredibly happy of all the effort I accomplished because I never gave up,” he adds.
“I had two role models in my childhood, Zidane and Ronaldo, and I always had this dream in my brain that everything was possible.
There was a difficult moment when I wasn’t in the French squad, but I worked hard and never gave up, kept my head down, and liked playing football.”
“I’m quite pleased of my trip here; it wasn’t simple, and it was challenging for me and my family.” It’s a first for me to be here today. I am simply overjoyed, thanks to my colleagues at Real Madrid and the national team.”
