Karim Benzema becomes oldest Ballon d'Or winner since 1956

In a recent piece of news, star French center-forward Karim Benzema has been announced as the Ballon d’Or award winner of 2022. Notably, he is the oldest player to win the most coveted title in the last 66 years since 1956 when English legend Sir Stanley Matthews won it. The former England international won his first Ballon d’Or at the age of 41.

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Speaking of Benzema, he will turn 35 in the coming December. Currently, he is in action for the Spanish football club Real Madrid. The French international led his club to a double in the last football season with his amazing and stellar performances on the field. He went on to smash 44 goals alongside 15 assists in his 46 appearances in all competitions.

Other than leading his team to win the UEFA Champions League title and the La Liga trophy, Benzema also helped his national team to win their first-ever UEFA Nations League trophy in last year.

He was also awarded the renowned Pichichi award of Spain for scoring the highest goals in the league and the golden boot during the UEFA Champions League in the campaign of 2021-22.

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The 34-year-old French international was in contention with Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City. Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski and Mohamed Salah of Liverpool ended up in the top five list of the Ballon d’Or.

Benzema also expressed his feelings after winning the award and felt overwhelmed while speaking about his childhood dream.

"The prize in front of me makes me really proud. It's truly an honor. It was a childhood dream. I never gave up. When I was a kid, I had the motivation and I had two role models in my life: Zidane and Ronaldo,” said Benzema via France Football.

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Here’s the complete list of Ballon d'Or award winners since 1956: