In an exceptional season for him and his team, French star Karim Benzema, Real Madrid's top scorer, won the Golden Ball award, whether by its new or even old standards, as he far ahead of his closest competitors, whether in terms of individual achievements or with his team and his country.

And there was a three-way struggle for the Golden Ball awarded to the best player in the world, between: Benzema (34 years old), Sadio Mane (30 years old), and Mohamed Salah (30 years old), before facing Real Madrid and Liverpool in the Champions League final, but The French star settled the conflict without any doubt in his favour, after the Royal won 1-0 and crowned him with the fourteenth title.

😄🖐️ Five and five, government!

@Benzema #CHAMP14NS pic.twitter.com/vLnwCqiQ4n

- Real Madrid (@realmadridarab) May 30, 2022

And former French star Thierry Henry believed that "Benzema and Mane are the best candidates to win the Ballon d'Or," stressing that his compatriot Benzema is closest to the award except in one case, which is Liverpool's victory in the quartet this season, which would have favored Mane significantly, but the Reds did not achieve Only two local championships.

These are the ten reasons that confirm Benzema's decision to win the Ballon d'Or:

🥇 UEFA's Technical Observer panel have named Real Madrid's Karim Benzema as the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League Player of the Season 👏👏👏@Benzema |

#UCL

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 31, 2022

First: Benzema's individual achievements in the past season

  • He won the title of best player in the Champions League.

  • Champions League top scorer with 15 goals.

  • Top scorer in the Spanish league with 27 goals.

  • The award for the best goal in the Champions League, with his first goal against Chelsea in the first leg of the quarter-finals.

  • He led Real Madrid to the final by scoring 10 decisive goals in the eighth, quarter and semi-final rounds, including a hat-trick in Paris Saint-Germain, a hat-trick against Chelsea, and a double against Manchester City, respectively.

  • He presented his best season in 13 years with Real Madrid, as he scored 44 goals in 46 games, and made 15 goals in all competitions, to lead the royal in an exceptional season that will not fall from the memory of his fans.

    • #UCL #GOTS

    Karim @Benzema décroche le prix du But ⚽ de la saison en #ChampionsLeague pour son coup de tête surpuissant 💪 contre Chelsea 🤩🤩


    On est d'accord que c'est mérité 🤔 #UCLvideo |

    #GOTS |

    #Benzema pic.twitter.com/Hi0ueiw1VO

    — L'UEFA 🇫🇷 (@UEFAcom_fr) May 31, 2022

    Second: Benzema's collective achievements with Real Madrid and the France national team:

  • He led Real Madrid to win the Champions League for the fourteenth time in the club's history, and the fifth in its history.

  • He won the European Nations League with France in October 2021.

  • He effectively contributed to the "Royal" restoration of the Spanish League title (the fourth title in his career with Real), as he scored 27 goals and made 12 other goals.

  • With Real Madrid, he won the Spanish Super Cup for the fourth time.

    • 🇫🇷 Karim Benzema finishes as 2021/22 Champions League top scorer with 15 goals ⚽️@Benzema |

    #UCLfinal |

    #UCL pic.twitter.com/tlnZKzwVfV

    — UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 29, 2022

    Individual achievements decide the Ballon d'Or

    The Ballon d'Or has witnessed a fundamental change this year, as it has become highly dependent on individual achievements, as it was decided to grant it to the full season and not to the calendar year as it was before, i.e. the 2021-2022 season and not 2022, especially since the award ceremony will be held in October The first is next, that is, before the World Cup in Qatar, which will start in November 2022.

    ✨ Final recap, what a final!

    ✨


    ⚽️ @vinijr


    👑 #CHAMP14NS #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/jnINgGqvnt

    - Real Madrid (@realmadridarab) May 30, 2022

    Messi: Benzema won the Ballon d'Or

    The Argentine star, Lionel Messi, the Paris Saint-Germain striker, praised Benzema a few days after the Champions League final, and said, "Without a doubt, Benzema had an amazing season and ended it by winning the Champions League."

    He added, "He played a decisive role in all the matches, starting from the round of 16, and I think there are no doubts this year (in winning the Golden Ball)."

    Benzema scored a hat-trick in a 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the aggregate score in the round of 16, depriving the French team of crowning the title for the first time in its history.

    The 7-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi said, "The Real Madrid match broke us, broke me and broke all the team members. We had high hopes, but it makes me want to win the title" next time.

    He added, "The best team does not win the Champions League. I do not want to underestimate Real Madrid, but it was not the best in the tournament, and yet it beat everyone."