Zinedine Zidane described Karim Benzema as his “little brother” as he backed the Real Madrid striker to land this year’s Ballon d’Or crown.
The striker played a critical role in Madrid’s 35th La Liga title and stunned Europe with his performances as they reached the Champions League final. Benzema scored in each leg of the semi-final win over Manchester City after his quick-fire hat-trick downed Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16. He bagged another treble against Chelsea in the quarter-finals and netted the winner in extra-time of the return leg.
The 34-year-old was in sparkling form throughout the campaign as he scored a remarkable 44 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions. That comfortably surpassed his previous best of 32 strikes for a season back in 2011-12. The striker scored 15 goals in the Champions League in just 12 appearances and was the standout player in this season’s tournament, which culminated in Real Madrid's 1-0 victory over Liverpool.
