Karim Benzema has won the Ballon d'Or for the first time after leading Real Madrid to a sensational double.
The Frenchman was the standout performer for Los Blancos as they won LaLiga and claimed another Champions League crown. Benzema scored 44 times - the highest single season tally of his career - as he continues to blossom at the age of 34, becoming just the fifth man from his country to win the prestigious accolade.
He is the first Frenchman to claim the award since Zinedine Zidane's success back in 1998. The former Lyon man, who signed for Madrid in 2009, had for much of his career played second fiddle to Cristiano Ronaldo, but has flourished as his side's main man in recent years.
