Karim Benzema has been voted the best player on the planet after scooping FIFA 's prestigious Ballon d'or gong.
The French striker wowed at the weekend, scoring the opener as Real Madrid beat arch rivals Barcelona at the Bernabeu to win El Clasico and move three points clear at the top of La Liga. After Barca striker Robert Lewandowski controversially missed out last year despite a red hot final campaign for Bayern Munich, the rules were changed so that a players' performances over the previous season, rather then the calendar year, were taken into account.
And it was an outstanding 2021/22 campaign for the 34-year-old Benzema. Real were Spanish champions, finishing 13 points clear of Barcelona. There was their now traditional success in Europe as well as they won the Champions League for a record 14th time. Benzema hit a stunning quarter-final hat-trick against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before grabbing the winner during extra-time of the second leg to send Los Merengues through to the last four.
