Real Madrid and France forward Karim Benzema won the 2022 Ballon d'Or award for the best men's player in the world.
Benzema, who played a pivotal role in Real's run to the Champions League title last season, is the first French player to win the trophy since Zinedine Zidane in 1998 and the fifth after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini and Jean-Pierre Papin.
Benzema beat Poland's Robert Lewandowski, Sadio Mane of Senegal and Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne after Argentina's Lionel Messi won the award for a record seventh time last year. The highlight of their European campaign was the 3-1 win in the second leg against PSG when the Spanish club were 2-0 down on aggregate, with Benzema grabbing a 17th minute hat-trick in the second half to stun the Ligue 1 side.
The 28-year-old missed the Euros for Spain, however, after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury on the eve of the tournament in England.
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