“Pure gold”, “Eternal Benzema”, “Karim showed the way” … The coronation of Karim Benzema, elected Ballon d’Or 2022 on October 17, is unanimously hailed on the football planet, an achievement for the striker Frenchman from Real Madrid which has long sparked the most heated debates.
After a dream season, the 34-year-old Real Madrid striker becomes the first Frenchman since Zinédine Zidane in 1998 to achieve this consecration. Benzema has won almost everything in 2021-2022: Champions League and Spanish Championship in club, Nations League in selection, titles of top scorer and player of Spain in 2021-2022.
He is the 5th tricolor player awarded after Raymond Kopa (1958), Michel Platini 3 times (1983-1984-1985), Jean-Pierre Papin (1991) and “Zizou” (1998).
But the year 2022 will also remain that of his international retirement, when he was deprived of the World Cup in Qatar with the France team due to an injury before the 1st match of the Blues. It was through a message on social networks that the Ballon d’Or 2022 announced the news, the day after France’s defeat in the final against Argentina (3-3, 4 tab to 2), and the his 35th birthday.
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