Ballon d’Or

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      Karim Benzema claims ex-Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo has not congratulated him on Ballon d’Or win

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      KARIM BENZEMA has revealed that he has not received a message from former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo after winning his Ballon d’Or.The French forward was well deserving of the award after he led Madrid to the Champions League and LaLiga double last season.
      Karim Benzema won his first Ballon d’Or award in October.Credit: Getty
      Cristiano Ronaldo however has not sent his former team-mate a message congratulating him.Credit: Reuters
      He was on top form throughout the season as he scored 44 goals in 46 games in all competitions, including key strikes in their Champions League run.
      The striker even beat Premier League stars Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne as well as PSG’s Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe to the coveted award.
      Benzema was congratulated worldwide for his achievement as his former manager Zinedine Zidane hailed him as the “best striker in French football history.”
      However, there was one notable omission as Ronaldo did not send him a message, despite playing together for nine years.
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      Benzema was asked if the Portuguese attacker had contacted him following the award, and he said: “No, not yet.”
      Ronaldo has won the award five times but was not in the running for it last year even though he was Manchester United’s top scorer last season.
      Benzema is now looking forward to the World Cup in Qatar and is hopeful of helping France lift the trophy, especially as the day after the final is his 35th birthday.
      He said: “Winning the World Cup would be one of my best ever birthday presents.
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      “Each match will be a cup final. We’ve got a great group of players, we’re going to take it one game at a time.
      “I’ve had a few little fitness issues but nothing serious. There’s still plenty of time until the 22nd. I’ll be fine, I’ll be physically and mentally ready.”
      Ronaldo however is all over the news following the reveal of his explosive interview with TalkTV in which he speaks about his time at Manchester United.
      In this he admitted he “has no respect” for his manager Erik ten Hag, criticised the club’s owners and slammed his former team-mate Wayne Rooney. More

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      Karim Benzema’s Ballon d’Or win costs Real Madrid £870k as 13-year transfer clause is triggered

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      REAL MADRID have to pay Lyon £870,000 following Karim Benzema’s Ballon d’Or triumph, according to reports.The striker, 34, joined the Spanish giants way back in 2009 for a then French-record transfer fee of £30million.
      Benzema claimed the award at Monday night’s ceremonyCredit: Getty
      The deal had add-ons within it which could enable the price to increase to as much as £35.2m.
      And one of those was a clause which would see Lyon receive one million euros if he claimed the Ballon d’Or.
      Well over a decade on, L’Equipe understand that clause has now been triggered after the Madrid man claimed the award ahead of Sadio Mane and Kevin de Bruyne.
      Benzema has scored 329 goals in 616 appearances since joining Los Blancos.
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      And he was instrumental in helping the club lift the LaLiga and Champions League trophies last season, netting a remarkable 44 times in 46 games.
      Following Benzema’s Ballon d’Or win, Lyon’s president Jean-Michel Aulas hailed it as a special moment.
      He said: “It’s a great source of pride and emotion, because Karim is a kid from OL.
      “He is a child that we have seen grow up and that we have seen blossom.
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      “We have seen him succeed in almost everything he has undertaken.
      “And for us, who not only hired him, but also signed his first contracts with us, we are proud.
      “It’s a source of pride with a message, that of exemplarity, because having a youngster like Karim who only plays for two clubs in his entire career.”
      Before moving to Madrid 13 years ago, Benzema scored 66 times in 148 matches for Lyon, winning four successive league titles.
      And the Ligue 1 side’s supporters have not forgotten what he achieved with the club as they celebrated in the streets following his Ballon d’Or win. More

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      Ballon d’Or full voting list leaked with Cristiano Ronaldo not getting single one despite bizarrely coming 20th

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO did not receiving a SINGLE VOTE in this year’s Ballon d’Or despite placing 20th, it has been revealed.The Manchester United superstar, 37, scored 24 goals in 38 games for the Red Devils last season.
      Ronaldo finished 20th in the Ballon d’Or, his lowest finish in 17 yearsCredit: Reuters
      The leaked voting
      But he still failed to avoid finishing in his lowest Ballon d’Or position since 2005 – when he wasn’t nominated.
      And it has now been leaked on social media that Ronaldo did not claim ANY votes.
      A total of 19 players received one vote or more, leaving the five-time winner in 20th place.
      The likes of Harry Kane and Trent Alexander-Arnold were among the other nominees to draw blanks.

      However, for some reason Ronaldo was ranked above all of his fellow unloved players.
      Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema scooped the award for the first time in his career after dominating the voting.
      He received 549 votes, over 300 more than second place Sadio Mane’s 193.
      It is the biggest winning margin since Ronaldo beat Lionel Messi to the gong by 429 votes in 2016.
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      Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne propped up the podium places, 18 behind former Liverpool man Mane.
      The rest of the top 10 places were filled by Robert Lewandowski, Mo Salah, Kylian Mbappe, Thibaut Courtois, Vinicius Jr, Luka Modric and Erling Haaland.
      And a host of other players also beat Ronaldo to votes.
      They were Son Heung-min, Riyad Mahrez, Sebastien Haller, Fabinho, Rafael Leao, Virgil van Dijk, Casemiro, Luis Diaz and Dusan Vlahovic.
      It comes as the United striker’s future at Old Trafford appears more doomed than ever.
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      He stormed off in a strop before the end of their win over Tottenham after refusing to come on as a substitute.
      And he has since been dropped from the trip to Chelsea on Saturday evening, while manager Erik ten Hag has also forced him to train on his own. More

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      Benzema wears £435k Richard Mille watch at Ballon d’Or ceremony while Lewandowski rocks £52 Casio

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      KARIM BENZEMA rocked up to the glitzy Ballon d’Or ceremony wearing a watch worth a whopping £435,000.Meanwhile his humble rival Robert Lewandowski had a cheap £52 Casio number strapped to his wrist.
      Karim Benzema wore a watch worth a reported £435,000 to the Ballon d’Or ceremonyCredit: Splash
      Robert Lewandowski’s watch is worth just £52Credit: Instagram @fcbarcelona
      Lewandowski arrived at the awards alongside stunning wife AnnaCredit: The Mega Agency
      Benzema was joined by American model and former Hooters employee Jordan OzunaCredit: EPA
      Spanish outlet Marca say Benzema’s bling was worth nearly half a million pounds.
      The 34-year-old looked stylish as he jetted to France for the awards ceremony on Monday evening, arriving separately to girlfriend Jordan Ozuna.
      Real Madrid ace Benzema won the Ballon d’Or, which gave him a chance to show off his fancy Richard Mille watch on stage.
      It capped a remarkable journey for Benzema, after he was exiled from the national team and faced trial for his alleged part in blackmailing Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape.
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      And the RM 65-01 Richard Millie piece he wore is branded as “the most complex timepiece ever to leave the Richard Mille workshops”, and for that reason it doesn’t come cheap.
      But with Benzema earning a mind-boggling £275k-a-week, according to Salary Sport, it would take him less than TWO WEEKS to save up for the watch.
      The French striker has a net worth of £62.5m, according to Celebrity Net Worth, so made sure his bling caught the eye at the elegant event.
      Benzema’s Barcelona and Ballon d’Or rival decided to keep things simple.
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      Lewandowski arrived with wife Anna wearing a Casio watch worth just £52.
      Despite taking a pay cut to join Barcelona, the 34-year-old dessert lover still earns a reported £150k-a-week.
      He is also claimed to have a net worth of £75m, which is more than Benzema, so could easily afford to buy a similarly fancy watch.
      The pair faced off each other on the pitch last weekend, before doing so again just a day later for the Ballon d’Or award.
      And it was Benzema who came on top both times.
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      Real Madrid beat Barca 3-1 in El Clasico on Sunday, before Lewandowski could only finish fourth in the rankings for the prestigious gong.
      Although he was scoop the Muller Trophy, awarded to the player who scored the most goals in the calendar year.
      Benzema was crowned 2022 Ballon d’Or winnerCredit: AFP
      Lewandowski scooped the prestigious Muller TrophyCredit: AP More

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      Beth Mead laughs at caption describing her as Vivianne Miedema’s ‘guest’ after coming close to Women’s Ballon d’Or win

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      BETH MEAD saw the funny side of a photo caption describing her as a ‘guest’ of Vivianne Miedema at the Ballon d’Or awards on Monday. The stunning picture of the Arsenal stars was taken before the Euros winner was announced as runner-up to Alexia Putellas for this year’s prize.
      Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead were among four WSL stars nominated for this year’s Women’s Ballon d’Or gongCredit: Getty
      A picture of Miedema and Mead at the awards ceremony included a caption referring to Mead as the Dutch striker’s guestCredit: Getty
      The Barcelona ace, 28, claimed top spot in the Ballon d’Or’s rankings with Mead coming second following a standout season for club and country.
      Mead and Miedema were photographed together on the red carpet at the glitzy ceremony celebrating the feats of the world’s best players.
      A caption accompanying the picture, taken at Paris’s Theatre Du Chatelet, saw the forward described as a guest of her Arsenal team-mate much to the bemusement of fans on social media.
      However, Mead, 27, tweeted a light-hearted response with a thumbs up and laughing face with tears emojis and the LOL acronym for ‘laughing out loud’.

      And Netherland’s ace Miedema, 26, tweeted a reply of her own with a thumbs up emoji which read ‘happy I got to take my guest’.
      Mead reportedly finished just one point behind Putellas with the Barca skipper becoming the first player to retain the Women’s Ballon d’Or.
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      The Gunners heroine won the Euros Golden Boot after notching six goals as England played their way into the history books with their first major tournament win.
      The Yorkshire-born forward helped Arsenal take last season’s title battle to the wire with the team finishing a point behind league winners Chelsea.
      Mead, whose “Lioness: My Journey to Glory” book goes on sale in November, bagged 11 goals and eight assists in 22 top-tier matches for her club.
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      Her partner Miedema finished in 11th place in this year’s Ballon d’Or awards after ending last term as Arsenal’s top scorer with 14 goals.
      Tomorrow the WSL stars and their club play in their Champions League group stage game this term.
      The match will see them take on last term’s tournament winners Lyon who have the contest a record eight times in the past 11 years.
      Arsenal will play Lyon in the Champions League for the first time since 2011Credit: Getty More

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      Zinedine Zidane cannot stop smiling as he hands Karim Benzema Ballon d’Or and congratulates Real Madrid star

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      ZINEDINE ZIDANE was beaming like a Cheshire cat as he awarded fellow countryman Karim Benzema the Ballon d’Or.Juventus and Real Madrid legend Zidane, 50, was the last Frenchman to win the coveted prize when he collected the gong back in 1998.
      A glowing Zidane presented Benzema with the Ballon d’OrCredit: Getty

      The two French legends embraced on the stageCredit: Reuters
      Benzema posed with Zidane, Chelsea icon Didier Drogba and journalist Sandy HeribertCredit: EPA
      Zidane continued to beam from ear to ear as he congratulated Benzema backstageCredit: TWITTER / SARA_2437
      But Benzema ended that 24-year wait on Monday as he beat Sadio Mane and Kevin de Bruyne to the accolade.
      Zidane presented the Real striker with the trophy – which Benzema claimed after leading the Spanish giants to LaLiga and Champions League glory last season.
      And the former Los Blancos boss, who coached Benzema for a total for five years, could not contain his joy at seeing his ex-player receive the honour.
      He was seen wearing a huge smile as the 34-year-old came up to claim the award.
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      And he then continued to show just how jubilant he was backstage after the ceremony as a clip emerged of Zidane embracing Benzema once more.
      Reacting on social media, one person said: “Look at how happy Zinedine Zidane is for him. What a beautiful moment. ❤️”
      While another added: “Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Zidane and Benzema, legends.”
      A third said: “Zidane tried so hard to hold back the excitement after seeing Benzema’s name 😂❤.”
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      And a fourth added: “When the entire world criticised Zidane for playing Benzema during his bad form, he didn’t listen to the media or the fans. He believed in Benzema when no one did.
      “Five years later, Benzema wins his first ever Ballon d’Or and Zidane handed it over to him like a proud father.”
      Benzema credits Zidane and Brazilian Ronaldo as the players he idolised when he was growing up.
      He then won three Champions Leagues in a row under the management of Zidane between 2016 and 2018 – although the limelight was often given to Cristiano Ronaldo instead.
      But last season Benzema finally received the credit he deserves as he scored 44 goals in 46 games on the way to Real lifting the LaLiga and Champions League trophies.
      Zidane looked thrilled from the moment Benzema stepped up on stageCredit: Rex
      Benzema was honoured to collect the award and pledged to retire at Real MadridCredit: Getty More

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      Fans spot Barcelona star Gavi giving Karim Benzema ‘evil stare’ after Real Madrid rival is named Ballon d’Or winner

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      BARCELONA star Gavi gave Karim Benzema an evil stare as the Real Madrid striker collected his Ballon d’Or trophy. The Frenchman was named as the award winner after helping Real to LaLiga and Champions League success last season.
      Gavi glared at Karim Benzema as he collected his awardCredit: DAZN
      The Barcelona star was named as the young player of the yearCredit: AP
      And while the audience congratulated the Frenchman on his achievement, Gavi was not so receptive.
      Instead, the Barcelona midfielder, who won the young player of the year award, shot his rival a fierce look.
      It is possible the 18-year-old was still seething with Benzema after their encounter at the Bernabeu the day before.
      The pair clashed after Gavi tripped Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga, with Benzema appearing to slap Gavi on the back.
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      It is also possible that Gavi was unhappy at seeing a Real rival win the coveted award, with his team-mate Robert Lewandowski only picking up the Gerd Muller Trophy for best striker of the year.
      Benzema, 34, revealed it was a lifelong dream to win the Ballon d’Or and also spoke about his Los Blancos future.
      He said: “This prize in front of me makes me really proud.
      “When I was small, it was a childhood dream, I never gave up. Anything is possible.
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      “I’m really proud of my journey here. It wasn’t easy, it was a difficult time for my family as well.”
      He added: “I will retire in Real Madrid. There’s no other option for me.
      “I have a contract with Real Madrid. I feel good currently. After that? I don’t know, because I am thinking year on year.
      “If I feel good, I will continue in football, and if I do not feel good, we will see then. But right now I have two years of contract with Real Madrid.” More

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      Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois slams Ballon d’Or chiefs after best keeper award win as Iker Casillas slates decision

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      REAL Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois has taken a dig at the Ballon d’Or organisers after being voted last season’s finest shot-stopper but missing out on a place on the best player podium.The 30-year-old was awarded the Yashin Trophy for his feats between the sticks but only ended up in seventh place for the main prize which went to his teammate Karim Benzema.
      Courtois won the Yashin Trophy at the awards ceremony on Monday nightCredit: Getty
      Casillas feels Courtois should have been in the top three for the Ballon d’OrCredit: AFP
      Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas criticised his omission from the top three in a Twitter rant after Monday night’s ceremony, describing him as the “world’s best keeper”.
      He added: “What I’m not happy about is that he was not included in the final podium for the Ballon d’Or.
      “I still don’t understand what those who choose this award base themselves on.”
      Courtois then went a step further in an interview after the Paris ceremony by describing the Yashin Trophy as “invented” and insisting he believed it was “impossible” a keeper would ever win the coveted prize again.
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      The ex-Chelsea goalie posted a photo of him with the trophy on Instagram alongside Benzema and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and wrote: “Very honoured to win this.
      “I would like to share this moment with all of you and to thank you for your unconditional support and love.”
      But in a post-ceremony TV interview, the Belgian international was asked about the chances of a keeper winning the Ballon d’Or again.
      To which he replied: “The truth is that I think it’s impossible. Karim deserved what happened today and we all agree about that.
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      “But after a season in which I was the goalkeeper and you win the league and your team wins the Champions League final thanks to your saves and you only end up seventh is significant.
      “At the end of the day the votes don’t go the goalkeepers’ way which is something you can understand.
      “I think there was no defender in the top ten.”
      Courtois, who controversially claimed he didn’t get “enough respect” in England after being voted man of the match in the Champions League final, went on to say: “At least they’ve invented this trophy for the best goalkeeper because every year a goalkeeper is more important in his team.
      “You have to make the saves and stay like a book behind the goal-line. Let’s hope that one day we’ll do it and we’ll continue to fight for it.”
      Courtois’ stunning Israeli model girlfriend Mishel Gerzig, who attended the awards ceremony with her partner, was also quick to congratulate him.
      She posted a photo of him accepting the Yashin Trophy and wrote in an Instagram message alongside it: “Can’t have enough words to tell how proud I am of you. You deserve it my life. Congratulations.”
      The pretty blonde finished her message with a heart emoticon.
      The only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d’Or is Lev Yashin – who the Yashin Trophy is named after – but he claimed the honour way back in 1963.
      The legendary shot-stopper played for Dynamo Moscow from 1950 to 1970, as well as internationally for the Soviet Union.
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      Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer came the closest to repeating Yashin’s feat in 2014 when he finished in third position.
      The Yashin Trophy was established in 2019 when it was won by Liverpool’s Allison Becker. More