Benzema might win the Ballon d’Or.
Karim Benzema, who for so many years was the Real Madrid attack’s understudy to Cristiano Ronaldo, has now cemented his own legend. The France forward has truly been a walking, talking highlight reel for the past year.
Benzema has given us a ton of GIF-worthy moments, frequently on the biggest stage, solidifying himself as the clear favorite to win the Ballon d’Or on Monday.
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Here are a few of the reasons why we are so certain that “King Karim” deserves to be named the best player in the world; it will only be a matter of hours before he receives the trophy.
Goals, goals, goals!
Ridiculous figures are a necessary component of every Ballon d’Or-winning campaign, and Benzema’s are exceptional.
In 46 club games last season, the Frenchman managed a downright astounding 44 goals and 15 assists. These goal-related contributions were evenly distributed throughout the season as well, giving Benzema a compelling argument to be crowned the top striker in Europe in 2022.
Benzema 3-1 PSG
Although Benzema has frequently freed Madrid from detention in previous years, his finest escape maneuver occurred against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last year.
Los Blancos appeared to be going out of Europe in the last 16 with a goal deficit from the first leg and another goal deficit on the night. Benzema, though, had other plans.
He converted Vinicius Junior’s cutback with just over 30 minutes remaining in the game, and 15 minutes later, he tied the score overall with a deflected finish after excellent work from Luka Modric.
He hadn’t finished yet either. Marquinhos cleared a ball right into Benzema’s path before we had a chance to recover our breath, and it was destined for the goal.
A true leader’s performance.
Real without him lost.
Real’s performance without Benzema in the second part of the 2021–22 season proved exactly how essential the striker is to his team, if it wasn’t previously crystal clear.
Without the attacker, Carlo Ancelotti’s team only managed three victories in eight games. Without Benzema, they too suffered from some very poor outcomes.
The worst loss of all was a 4-0 Clasico loss to Barcelona, but losing to Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals was equally terrible.
You cannot truly appreciate what you have until it’s gone, as Joni Mitchell once sang.
Trophies aplenty
It’s not only about how well each person performs. Any serious Ballon d’Or contender must also have won some team awards during the course of the year.
In 2022, Benzema won four championships: the Supercopa, La Liga, Champions League for Real Madrid, and the UEFA Nations League with France.
So, yes, he is knowledgeable in silverware polishing.
All of his competitors are lacking something.
Benzema is the clear favorite this year, but there are challengers for the title. Fortunately for him, most of his primary rivals are facing quite strong arguments.
Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe both have impressive statistics, but the absence of any trophies seriously undermines each player’s case.
Although Kevin De Bruyne has occasionally served as a talisman, he hasn’t produced nearly as many performances that made a statement as Benzema.
Mohamed Salah, who had a fast start to the 2021–22 season, substantially slowed down.
Sadio Mane, the AFCON champion, is Benzema’s toughest rival, but even he cannot stop the veteran from winning his first Ballon d’Or award because Liverpool failed to win either the Premier League or the Champions League.