Huge favorite for the Ballon d'Or on October 17 in Paris, Karim Benzema began by winning the award for best UEFA player of the year.

At 34, the center forward of Real Madrid was preferred to his partner Thibaut Courtois and Belgian Manchester City Kevin de Bruyne.

Winner of the Spanish Championship and the Champions League, author of 44 goals in 46 games with Real and winner of the selection of the modest League of Nations with the Blues, Benzema has had a full season.

✨ About last night.#UEFAawards pic.twitter.com/BmAVw9MXxJ

— UEFA (@UEFA) August 26, 2022

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The former Lyonnais becomes the second French player to be awarded this prize from the European Confederation in his current configuration after Franck Ribéry in 2013. Before him, two Real Madrid players had been crowned: Cristiano Ronaldo (2014, 2016, 2017) and Luka Modric in 2018. "KB9" succeeds the Italian Jorginho, winner in 2021 of the Euro and the Champions League with Chelsea.

N'Golo Kanté finished second.

The UEFA player of the year prize is awarded by a jury made up of "clubs participating in European Cups" and a "group of journalists", including AFP, according to UEFA.

Players are judged on their performance in "all competitions, domestic and international".

Putellas, despite the injury

The tighter women's prize went to the Spaniard Alexia Putellas, holder of the Ballon d'Or.

The Barcelona player is a surprise because she did not play the Euros due to a serious knee injury on the eve of the start of the competition.

Finalist in the Champions League (3-1 defeat against Lyon) and Spanish champion with 30 wins in 30 games, Putellas (28) is ahead in particular of the Englishwoman Beth Mead, yet crowned European champion at home with the " Lionesses” and named best player of the competition, which she ended up as co-top scorer.

The 20-year-old German Lena Oberdorf was also mentioned among the three finalists.

The prize for the best coach was given to Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid), architect of the 14th C1 of the Madrid club, while for the women's teams, it was the coach of England, the Dutch Sarina Wiegman, who was sacred.

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