It was in 2009 that Karim Benzema became a Real Madrid player. El Merengue paid 35 million euros to Lyon for the Frenchman’s transfer. Benzema’s presentation took place at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, attended by 20,000 spectators.
During his years at the club, Benzema has been both applauded and criticized by Madrid fans. “People don’t understand what I do on the field, I play for people who know a lot about soccer,” he once responded to the criticism. For seasons his high level was overshadowed by the quality of Cristiano Ronaldo, but since the Portuguese’s departure in 2018, the Frenchman became a key player for Real Madrid.
Thirteen years have passed since his arrival at Madrid, and the 34-year-old striker is in his prime. His high-level positions him as the favorite candidate to win the 2022 Ballon d’Or award. The striker has scored 320 times in 600 games for Real Madrid, during which time he has won 20 trophies with Los Blancos.
Ballon d’Or candidates
Cristiano Ronaldo (37) andLionel Messi (34) are no longer the favorites to win the award. For many years only the two of them competed for the Ballon d’Or, but time passed and now the candidates are others. The Portuguese did not win any titles this season, while the Argentine scored only 9 goals. Now, Benzema is competing with players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah and Robert Lewandowski.
In the last edition, the Frenchman did not even make the podium, finishing fourth with 239 points behind Lionel Messi (613), Lewandowski (580) and Jorginho(460). In addition, winning the Ballon d’Or will trigger a clause in his contract that will see Benzema receive a huge bonus.
Benzema’s arguments to win the Ballon d’Or
“Benzema is getting better every day, like wine. Every day he has more leadership, he feels more important in the team. This is what makes the difference in him,” said his coach,Carlo Ancelotti.
In January 2022, Real Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-0 to win the Spanish Super Cup. Benzema scored two goals in the tournament. Regarding La Liga, Real Madrid could be crowned champions next weekend if it beats or draw withEspanyol. That would be one more title for Benzema. The Frenchman is also the tournament’s top scorer with 25 goals.
Furthermore, Real Madrid are in the 2021-2022Champions League semi-finals, and the top scorer of the competition is Benzema with 14 goals scored. In total, the Frenchman has scored 41 goals.
Besides that, he also won the UEFA Nations League with France. And is currently third in the European Golden Boot race behind Lewandowski, and Ciro Immobile. Moreover, if he scores another four goals, Benzema will overtake Raúl Gonzalez (323) as Real Madrid’s second all-time top scorer.
The Frenchman is widely viewed as the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or. L’Equipe and Real Madrid think he is the frontrunner. Rio Ferdinand and Mesut Ozil have expressed their belief that Benzema is the best striker in the world. Ronaldo Nazario said: “Benzema? He deserves the Ballon d’Or, I’ve been saying it for years, and people criticize me for it, but he deserves it, he’s a great striker”.
Only journalists from the first hundred countries in the FIFA rankings will vote this year, and individual performance will be taken into account, followed by the collective achievements, as well as sportsmanship. France Football’ changed the bases, and now, the best of the current season will be awarded. In this case, the best of the 2021-2022 season.
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