KARIM BENZEMA has won the 2022 Ballon d’Or award, with Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne making up the top three.
The Frenchman has played second fiddle to Cristiano Ronaldo throughout his career, but an astounding year as Real Madrid’s main striker has seen him rocket to the one of the best players in the world.
Barcelona youngster Gavi won the Kopa Trophy with club teammate Robert Lewandowski picking up the Gerd Muller Trophy.
Thibaut Courtois was named as the winner of the Yashin Trophy, with Manchester City the Club of the Year before Benzema won the big award of the night.
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- Gavi wins Kopa Trophy as Bellingham doesn’t make top three
- Robert Lewandowski wins Gerd Muller Trophy
- Thibaut Courtois wins Yashin Trophy
- Man City win Club of the Year
- Karim Benzema wins Ballon d’Or award, with Sadio Mane in second place and Kevin De Bruyne third.
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Mane award one to savour
Sadio Mane built a hospital in his hometown, as the lack of facilities there led to his father’s death.
He donated £250,000 to a secondary school and gave the best performing students laptops worth in the region of £400 each.
Apparently he gives each and every family in his village €70 a month and provides them with a 4G internet connection and built a post-office there.
This award is in its very essence, the good human being award.
Well done Sadio, you restore faith in humanity for us all.
Credit: Reuters City the best in town
Man City were awarded the ‘Club of the Year’ accolade this evening.
Pep Guardiola’s side romped home to Premier League success and got to the Champions League semi-final stage.
With Liverpool and Real Madrid in the chasing pack, Pep will be wanting to make sure this a season where they show why they are a team to be feared by all.
Credit: AFP The grip has been released
Often maligned as a ‘two-horse race’ over the last 10 years or so, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated this trophy.
With the exception of a token Luka Modric win, you have to go back to 2007 for when Messi and Ronaldo didn’t win it.
That year Kaka picked up the trophy.
Purist fans of the beautiful game will see this as a more open trophy for anyone to win going forward.
Credit: AFP
The stats don’t lie
Karim Benzema had a world-class season last year, but it was not just goals and assists and that made him such a special player to Madrid.
The ability to link-up play, motivate his team mates and fight right up until that final whistle for the win was what made him so integral to the success that Real Madrid enjoyed.
He scored 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions.
Credit: Reuters Spain romps home at awards
La Liga took home best young player, best goalkeeper, best striker and best player at the ceremony this evening.
It was a clean sweep of epic proportions.
With Barcelona and Real Madrid sharing the awards, having two winners each.
Credit: @ESPNFC 2022 Ballon d’Or final four:
- Karim Benzema
- Kevin De Bruyne
- Sadio Mane
- Robert Lewandowski
Benzema achieves lifelong dream
One of the most popular winners of the Ballon d’Or as cheers of ‘Karim, Karim’ can be heard from the crowd.
The player went on to speak about how it was a dream of his to be footballer and he kept trying and training to make this moment possible today.
Benzema went on to say despite the Ballon d’Or being an individual prize for him it is also a collective one.
Credit: AFP 2022 Ballon d’Or winner: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
2022 Ballon d’Or
We are edging closer to the pinnacle of the evening.
The winner will soon be announced as we have now made it down to our final four players.
Trophy fresh from Esteban Ocon’s car.
Credit: AFP
FIFA Club of the Year: Man City
- Man City
- Liverpool
- Real Madrid
Now we have the ‘club of the year’ award
2022 Yashin award
Nobody could deny Thibaut Courtois the trophy this season after his exploits in Real Madrid’s run to Champions League glory.
Chelsea and Liverpool can both attest to the abilities of the keeper.
He kept the game in the final at 0-0, making save after save, before Vinicius Junior scored the winner.
Seen on the red carpet with his girlfriend Mishel Gerzig.
Credit: Getty Yashin award winner 2022: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
Number 5
Mohamed Salah
Credit: Getty Number 6
Kylian Mbappe
Credit: Getty
Number 7
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
Credit: AP Some more final 10 placings:
Gerd Muller award
The newly renamed trophy is given to the best striker.
This is the second time in two years that Lewandowski wins it.
After his 57-goal season for Bayern Munich last season, there could not be a more worthy winner.
He also broke Gerd Muller’s record in the Bundesliga with 41 goals.
Gerd Muller award: Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
Lightening does strike twice
Alexia Putellas made it back-to-back Ballon d’Or trophies this evening.
Shunned by the cancel culture
Robert Lewandowski arriving with his wife Anna Lewandowski.
The Polish forward made a tongue in cheek comment earlier in the week when asked who he thought would win this year’s award.
“The Ballon d’Or is likely to be won by Benzema… if they don’t cancel it.”
Credit: AFP
Cat who got the Karim
Jordan Ozuna arriving on the red carpet this evening.
The girlfriend of Karim Benzema, she will be hoping they have something extra to take home with them this evening.
Credit: EPA Women’s 2022 Ballon d’Or winner: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Arrival of the trophy
One of the weirdest things of the evening had to be Esteban Ocon driving the trophy 200 yards in a Formula One car, wheel-spinning all the way.
Went through four tyres and a tank of fuel for the journey.
That’s FIFA for you, from the sublime to the bizarre.
Credit: AFP Socrates award 2022
This is a new award this year and is a humanitarian award for those who look improve the world around us with their fame and wealth.
Sadio Mane is well-known to finance schools, hospitals and water treatment works in his home country of Senegal.
A worthy winner of the award, doing all he can to give back to the Senegalese people.
Credit: EPA
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
