Real Madrid's Karim Benzema wins men's Ballon d'Or, Gavi best under-21 player

Karim Benzema was awarded the 2022 Ballon d'Or at a ceremony in Paris on Monday after a stellar 2021-22 season saw him lead Real Madrid to a Champions League and LaLiga double.

Benzema, 34, scored a career-best 27 times in LaLiga last season and was top scorer in the Champions League with 15 goals, including hat tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

— Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)

He finished ahead of Bayern Munich's Sadio Mane and Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne, who came in second and third, respectively. Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe came in sixth place, while Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo finished in 20th.

«I'm really proud seeing this prize, it's been my dream since I was a kid. I grew up with this in my head, and after that I had the motivation,» Benzema said.

«I had two role models in my life: Zizou [Zinedine Zidane] and [Brazil legend] Ronaldo. It's a lot of work, I never gave up and I kept that dream in my head. Anything is possible.

»It's been difficult for me. There was a time when I wasn't playing for the national team, but I didn't give up. It's been difficult for me and that just makes me stronger mentally. I'm really happy with my work."

The France international picked up the prize — which is awarded by the magazine France Football — for the first time in his career at a ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.

A day earlier, Benzema opened the scoring as Madrid beat Barcelona 3-1 in El Clasico to go three points clear at the top of the LaLiga table.

He is the first Madrid player to receive the award since Luka Modric in 2018, and the the first Frenchman to win since Zidane in 1998, who awarded Benzema the trophy.

«I'd like to thank my