Karim Benzema 'has everything it takes' to win Ballon d'Or, says Ilkay Gundogan ahead of Man City v Real Madrid

Ilkay Gundogan has backed Karim Benzema to win the Ballon d’or ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. Benzema has been in terrific form this season, scoring 39 goals and grabbing 13 assists from 40 appearances in all competitions. Ad/> He also scored hat-tricks in both the last 16 and quarter-finals of the Champions League to secure Real’s progress past Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

LigaBenzema injury-time strike seals epic comeback win for Real over Sevilla17/04/2022 AT 18:10 “Right now, for me, Benzema is, along with [Robert] Lewandowski, the best striker in the world,” Gundogan told RT1. “He’s good with both feet, good in the air...I think he was underrated in the past and now he is proving his critics were wrong. “For a long time he was in Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow, especially in the press, but now he’s getting the attention and credit he deserves.

His achievements speak for themselves. Benzema has everything it takes to win the Ballon d’Or.” Ballon d'Or 2022: Who are the favourites? Inside Europe: We are reaching the Real Madrid zone Benzema joined Real from Lyon in 2009 and at the age of 34 is enjoying arguably his best-ever season. He finished fourth in last year’s Ballon d’Or voting with 239 points, well behind Lionel Messi, who won his seventh trophy with 613 points.

However, his chances of scooping the award in 2022 might have been improved by a change of criteria which means players will now be judged over the course of a typical club season rather than a calendar year. “He’s better every day, like wine,” Real head coach Carlo Ancelotti said of Benzema after his hat-trick against Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. “Every day he shows more