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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Jacob Leeks

Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema dealt immediate bad omen ahead of World Cup

Karim Benzema has seen his hopes of winning a first World Cup dealt a bad omen as he was named winner of this year's Ballon d'Or.

The Frenchman was crowned the world's best footballer at the awards night on Monday night. He has enjoyed a remarkable year, leading Real Madrid to the La Liga and Champions League double as he scored 44 goals along the way.

His sights will be set on the World Cup, which will be controversially held in Qatar just a month from now. France go into the tournament as the reigning champions, though Benzema was not part of the squad that lifted the trophy in Russia four years ago.

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