This morning, France Football magazine held their annual Golden Ball awards ceremony where they recognized French striker Karim Benzema for the first time in his career.
Karim Benzema, aged 35, has been awarded the 2022 Golden Ball, making him the fifth French player in history to receive this prestigious football award. Benzema now joins the elite group of Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, and Zinedine Zidane as Golden Ball winners from France. The last French player to be crowned with this title was Zidane back in 1998. Benzema’s recent season was particularly outstanding. Following Sergio Ramos’ departure, he was elevated to Real Madrid’s vice-captain position under the guidance of coach Carlo Ancelotti. It was also a season in which he played exceptionally well, and helped Real Madrid secure three titles, including the Spanish Super Cup, La Liga, and the Champions League. In the 2021-2022 season, Benzema scored an impressive 44 goals and provided 15 assists across all competitions. Of these, 15 goals were in the Champions League, with 10 of them coming in the knockout stage. He finished the season with a double top scorer title in both La Liga (27 goals) and the Champions League (15 goals). “The Golden Ball may be a personal award, but it is still a collective achievement. This is everyone’s Golden Ball. Winning this award has always been my goal,” said Benzema.
Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois was recognized as the Best Goalkeeper in the recent awards ceremony. The Kopa Trophy for Best Young Player was awarded to Gavi, an 18-year-old midfielder from Barcelona and Spain. Although Lewandowski received the Best Striker award for two consecutive years, he missed out on the Golden Ball once again. Meanwhile, Alexia Putellas, a striker from Barca, received her second consecutive Golden Ball in the women’s category. Putellas played a crucial role in helping her team win the Spanish championship and finish as the runner-up in the Champions League last season. In addition, she was also named the Best Female Player in Europe for the second time in August of last year.
Alexia Putellas has emerged as the victor of the 2022 Golden Ball for women, according to reports by Reuters. In the category of the best club award, Man City has been honored with the Premier League championship, despite being eliminated in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and Champions League. Meanwhile, Real Madrid finished third in this award, trailing behind Liverpool who won the FA Cup and English League Cup. This marks the 66th year of the Golden Ball awards, with Lionel Messi still holding the record for winning it seven times, although he was not nominated this year. Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, has won the award five times and only ranked 20th this time around.
