Karim Benzema wins Ballon d’Or 2022, De Bruyne 3rd, Courtois 7th (videos)

With Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois, two Red Devils finished in the Top 10. Currently in the Top 3, KDB achieves the best performance for a Belgian.

Seven-time winner and outgoing winner, Argentine Lionel Messi was not among the nominees, a first since 2006. Five-time Ballon d’Or, Cristiano Ronaldo finished in 20th position this year. The Portuguese was nominated for the… 18th time.

Benzema titré, KDB 3rd, Courtois 7th

KB9 has had a high-flying 2021-2022 campaign, carrying Real to a La Liga – Champions League double. He scored 44 goals and scored 15 goals in 46 games in all competitions. In C1 he was decisive through the final phase.

Benzema succeeds Lionel Messi on the list. He becomes the first Frenchman to win the most prestigious individual distinction since Zinedine Zidane in 1998. It was Zizou, his former coach at Real Madrid, who presented him with the trophy.

But Real’s decisive player in the final was Thibaut Courtois, author of several saves against the Liverpool attackers. The under-30-rated Belgian, who kept 22 clean sheets in 52 games last season, won the Yachine trophy, which rewards the best goalkeeper, and finished 7th in the Ballon d’Or rankings.

In turn, Kevin De Bruyne finished in 3rd position. He was a master of the Skyblues and carried his side to another Premier League title, with 19 goals and 14 assists in 45 appearances.

KDB was with his whole family at the Théâtre du Châtelet.

The classification of the Ballon d’Or

1. Karim Benzema – French – Real Madrid

2. Sadio Mané – Senegal – Liverpool/Bayern Munich

3. Kevin De Bruyne – Belgian – Manchester City

4. Robert Lewandowski – Polonais – Bayern Munich v FC Barcelona

5. Mo Salah – Egyptian – Liverpool

6. Kylian Mbappé – French – PSG

7. Thibaut Courtois – Belgian – Real Madrid

8. Vinicius Jr – Brazilian – Real Madrid

9. Luka Modric – Croatian – Real Madrid

10. Erling Haaland – Norway – Dortmund/Manchester City

11. Heung-min Son – South Korean – Tottenham

12. Riyad Mahrez – Algeria – Manchester City

13. Sebastian Haller – Ivory Coast – Ajax Amsterdam

14. Fabinho – Brazilian – Liverpool

14. Rafael Leao – Portugal – Milan AC

16. Virgil Van Dijk – Dutch – Liverpool

17. Casemiro – Brazilian – Real Madrid

17. Dusan Vlahovic – Serbian – Fiorentina/Juventus

17. Luis Diaz – Colombian – Porto/Liverpool

20. Cristiano Ronaldo – Portuguese – Manchester United

21. Harry Kane – England – Tottenham

22. Bernardo Silva – Portuguese – Manchester City

22. Phil Foden – English – Manchester City

22. Trent Alexander-Arnold – England – Liverpool

25. Joshua Kimmich – Anglais – Bayern Munich

25. Mike Maignan – French – AC Milan

25. Darwin Nunez – Uruguayan – Benfica/Liverpool

25. Antonio Rüdiger – German – Chelsea/Real Madrid

25. Joao Cancelo – Argentine – Manchester City

25. Christopher Nkunku – French – Leipzig

Courtois winner of the Yachine trophy for best goalkeeper

7th in the Ballon d’Or, Thibaut Courtois won the Yachine trophy, awarded to the best goalkeeper of the season.

Courtois (30) is being rewarded both collectively and individually at the end of an exceptional season. The last bastion of Real Madrid, winner of the Spanish championship and the Champions League, the Red Devil multiplied the decisive stops throughout the season, especially in the final of the C1, where it proved to be an insurmountable wall for Liverpool- players are.

Courtois is the first Belgian to win this trophy, awarded since 2019. He succeeds Italian Gianluigi Donnarumma on the list.

Alexia Putellas does a double whammy

Spain’s Alexia Putellas (28, FC Barcelona) won the Women’s Ballon d’Or for the second consecutive year.

This trophy has been awarded since 2018.

Gavi named best youngster

The Spaniard Gavi is the winner of the Kopa trophy, which rewards the best young player (under 21) of the season. The Barcelona player received his trophy on Monday at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, held at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

Gavi, 18, succeeds his teammate Pedri in winning this award, which was first awarded in 2018. The midfielder became the youngest Spanish international in history on 6 October 2021 during the semi-final of the League of Nations against Italy, at 17 years and 62 days. He made 34 appearances and 2 goals with Barcelona last season.

Gerd Müller trophy as top scorer for Lewandowski

Poland’s Robert Lewandowski received the World’s Top Scorer trophy for the second consecutive year, renamed Gerd Müller.

The 34-year-old striker, who was transferred from Bayern Munich to FC Barcelona for 45 million euros this summer, scored 57 goals in 56 games in all competitions during the 2021-2022 season (50 in club and 7 in selection). During the 2020-2021 financial year, he scored 56 goals in 50 games.

In the Bundesliga, for his final season with Bayern, “Lewy” finished top scorer with 35 goals in 34 games. In 2020-2021 he did even better with 41 goals in 29 games, one more than legend Gerd Müller, who held the record for half a century (since the 1971-1972 season).

With his new club Barça, Lewandowski already has 14 goals in 13 games, including 9 in La Liga. However, the Polish centre-forward remained silent during the Clasico against Real Madrid on Sunday, won by Karim Benzema’s team (3-1).

Big first with the Socrates prize: Mané laureate

At the Théâtre du Châtelet, a trophy was awarded for the first time. Indeed, the “Socrates Prize” rewards footballers involved in social and charitable projects. This addition brings the number of awards at the Gala du Ballon d’Or to seven.

For this great first, the winner is the Senegalese Sadio Mané. The Bayern Munich striker was rewarded for his investment in the development of his home town of Bambali, in the south of Senegal, where he particularly encouraged equal access for boys and girls to football practice.

Manchester City named team of the season