Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has won the 2022 Ballon d’Or after exceptional 2021/22 season, while Sadio Mane also wrote history.
Benzema, 34, scored 44 goals and assisted another 15 in 46 appearances in all competitions and was the standout favourite to lift the Golden Ball.
He also helped Real Madrid to win the LaLiga and UEFA Champions League, the Supercopa de Espana and the UEFA Super Cup.
In particular his outstanding performances in the Champions League, scoring three goals against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16, four against Chelsea in the quarter-final and another three against Manchester City in the semi-final to finish the campaign on 15 in just 12 games.
Benzema beat Sadio Mane to the award, while Kevin De Bruyne finished in third place. Mane became the first African player to finish on the podium since George Weah won it in 1995.
Mane scored 23 goals in all competitions, helping Liverpool finish runners-up in UEFA Champions League and Premier League, while lifting the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup.
He also lead Senegal to their first ever African Cup of Nations title, scoring the deciding penalty against Egypt in the final, and was named the Player of the Tournament.
All award winners:
Ballon d’Or Féminin: Alexia Putellas (FC Barcelona)
Kopa Trophy: Gavi (FC Barcelona)
Yashin Trophy: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
Gerd Müller Trophy: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich/FC Barcelona)
Club of the Year: Manchester City
Socrates Award: Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich/Liverpool)
Final Ballon d’Or Ranking Revealed
