Karim Benzema is the latest winner of the Ballon d’Or. It truly is a huge compliment to how amazing Benzema was over the course of the 2021/22 season that he became just the second player other than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to claim the prize since 2007.
Truth be told, Benzema has always been there or thereabouts when it comes to the finest male players in the world, but last season gave him the opportunity to truly stand out as the one to rule them all.
Stepping out from the decade-long shadow cast by Ronaldo and Messi's dominance, the Real Madrid hero was playing football from another planet as he secured Champions League and La Liga glory.
Not only did the Frenchman win his first Pichichi Trophy for Los Blancos, but his big game influence en route to Real's 14th European Cup was simply unrivalled.