Star footballer Karim Benzema, who performed brilliantly when he won the Champions League and Spanish league titles last season with Real Madrid, won the men’s Balor d’Or title for the first time. Spain’s Alexia Putelas once again stunned Barcelona to win the women’s trophy for the second year in a row on Monday.
Last season was Benzema’s best for Madrid. He was the top scorer in both the Champions League and the Spanish League. He scored 44 goals for Madrid, 15 of which he scored in the Champions League, Europe’s top club competition. He equaled second-ranked Ral Gonzalez in the club’s list of most goalscorers. The record for scoring the most goals for the team is held by the legendary player Cristiano Ronaldo. Thirty-four-year-old Benzema is the oldest player since Stanley Mathews to receive the award, first given in 1956.
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Benzema said, “For me age is just a number. Players now play longer and I still have the will to play. It is because of this will power that I have never given up.” Benzema defeated Sadio Mane and Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne in the race for the prize. Mane played for Liverpool last season but joined Bayern Munich for this season. For the first time, the Ballon d’Or award was given on the basis of the achievements of the previous season. Earlier this award was given on the basis of performance in the calendar year. The award is given by the French football magazine Belon d’Or. In the male category, this award is being given for 66 years. The women’s trophy started in 2018 but was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Alexia, on the other hand, scored 42 goals in the last season while helping to score 22 goals. She is the first female player to win this award for the second time. Alexia won the Spanish league title last season with Barcelona while his team reached the final of the Champions League.He has been away from football since July due to a knee injury on his left leg.
Alexia beat Arsenal’s Ben Mead and Chelsea’s Sam Kerr in the race for the prize. The Copa trophy for the best Under-21 player was given to 18-year-old Barcelona midfielder Govi. Robert Lewandowski received the Gerd Mueller Trophy for the best striker of the year. Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois was named the best goalkeeper.
