Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema wins Ballon d’Or 2022: Here is complete list of winners from awards ceremony

Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema finally realised his long-held dream as he lifted his maiden Ballon d’Or trophy in Paris on Monday after being named the best male footballer in the world. Benzema capped off a stunning 2021-22 season as he became the first Frenchman after the legendary Zinedine Zidane to lift the prestigious trophy.

Benzema was always a clear favourite to win Ballon d’Or 2022 after his brilliant campaign for Real Madrid last season. The French striker was instrumental in helping the club win the Champions League and the La Liga titles last season. Benzema scored hat-tricks against PSG and Chelsea in the Champions League before scoring three goals across the two legs against Manchester City to help Real Madrid reach the final.

He finished as the top-scorer in the Champions League last season with 15 goals to his name and was unstoppable for the La Liga giants. The French talisman scored 44 goals in 46 games across competitions last season and was the highest scorer in La Liga with 27 goals.

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Barcelona women’s team star Alexia Putellas clinched her second successive Ballon d’Or title after being named the best female player in the world for the second time in a row. Putellas scored 11 goals in the Women’s Champions League last season to help Barcelona reach the final where they lost against Lyon.

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski, who moved to the Spanish club from Bayern Munich earlier this year, clinched the Gerd Muller Trophy for the best striker of the season. Lewandowski was the top-scorer of the season for the club and country combined with a stunning 50 goals for Bayern across competitions and seven goals for his national team Poland.

Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois won the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper of the season while former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane was awarded the inaugural Socrates Award for his charity work in his home country Senegal. Premier League champions Manchester City were named the best club in the world.

Also Read: Benzema, Putellas win Ballon d’Or awards for best players in the world

Here is the complete list of winners from the Ballon d’Or 2022 awards ceremony:

Men’s Ballon d’Or Award

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

Women’s Ballon d’Or Award

Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)

Kopa Award

Gavi (Barcelona)

Gerd Muller Award

Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)

Yashin Trophy

Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)

Club of the Year Award

Manchester City

Socrates Award

Sadio Mane (Liverpool)