Karim Benzema has become just the second player not named Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d'Or since 2007.
The forward scored a remarkable 27 goals in 32 league games along with 15 in 12 Champions League matches last season, also assisting 14 times. Three of those goals came against Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the competition, where he almost single handedly ended the tie at Stamford Bridge.
Benzema, 34, has blossomed throughout his career but gained the true spotlight when Ronaldo left Los Blancos in 2018. Since then he has scored 136 goals for the club and demonstrated the individual skill that Premier League clubs have been desperate to sign for years.
