Karim Benzema was awarded the Ballon d'Or on Monday night, becoming the oldest recipient since Sir Stanley Matthews to win the award.
The Real Madrid star claimed "age is just a number" and he was still getting better after what was a stellar year. Winning successive Ballon d'Ors is no easy task however with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo the only players to do so in the past 30 years. Competition for the Golden Ball is only set to further intensify as the next generation stake their case.
Leagues around Europe will also be hoping to break the monopoly LaLiga has on the Ballon d'Or. Champions League glory has often been crucial to claiming the prestigious award, whilst this winter's World Cup could also go a huge way to deciding who claims the accolade in 12 months time.
