Karim Benzed’Or - Why Benzema deserves the Ballon d’Or
The data doesn’t lie - Karim Benzema’s impressive season last year definitely put him in contention to be the next Ballon d’Or winner.
As of right now, Karim Benzema is looking like the most likely candidate to win the Ballon d’Or, above Erling Haaland and Mo Salah. Does he deserve it? Let’s take a look at the stats.
Benzema was involved in 52 goals (44 goals and 15 assists) in all competitions with Real Madrid in 2021/22, the best single-season performance of his career. The Frenchman scored 27 goals in LaLiga 2021/22, topping the scoring tally and winning his first Pichichi award. He scored 15 goals in the 2021/22 Champions League, his best record in a single season in the competition - a figure only reached or surpassed by Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski. The Los Blancos number 9 scored 10 goals in the Champions League knockout stages last season, the joint-most by a player in a single campaign along with Cristiano Ronaldo in 2016/17. The Real Madrid captain scored a hat-trick in back-to-back Champions League appearances for the first time, becoming only the second player to do so in the knockout stages.
The Ballon d’Or 2022 will be awarded this Monday, October 17. This is the first year that the award will take into account the performance from the previous season rather than the calendar year, which is why it’s taking place much earlier.
Along with Benzema, the other top candidates are Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé, Mohamed Salah, and Robert Lewandowski.