Benzema wins the Ballon d’Or for the best footballer in the world

The striker of Real Madrid, Karim Benzemawon the Ballon d’Or for the best player in the world on Monday, beating Robert Lewandowski, Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne in the vote.

Benzema, who played a pivotal role in Real Madrid’s run to the Champions League title last season, is the first Frenchman to win the trophy since Zinedine Zidane’s 1998 and the fifth after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini and Jean-Pierre Papin.

“This award that I have in front of me fills me with pride. When I was a child, it was a childhood dream, I never gave up (…) everything is possible,” Benzema said on stage at the ceremony.

“There was a difficult period when I was not in the French team, but I never gave up. I am very proud of my career here. It was not easy, it was also a difficult time for my family,” he added.

Benzema had a stellar season with Madrid, scoring 44 goals in 46 games in all competitions, and helping guide the team to the League and Champions League double. His 15 goals in the Champions League led Real to their 14th title, a record.

Madrid came from behind in extraordinary fashion in the round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final series against Paris Saint Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City, respectively, and Benzema scored in each of the second legs.

The highlight of their European campaign was the 3-1 second leg win against PSG, with the Spanish club trailing 2-0 on aggregate, and Benzema scoring a hat-trick that stunned the Ligue 1 side.