The stats which prove Karim Benzema deserved to win the Ballon d’Or

Karim Benzema made history on Monday night after becoming the first Frenchman since 1998 to win the Ballon d’Or.

The Real Madrid forward enjoyed a tremendous year and capped it off with his first France Football crown.  

Zinedine Zidane, who was the last French recipient, handed Benzema the prize following a glitzy ceremony in Paris. 

Interestingly, Zidane won the World Cup before claiming his award 24 years ago. Benzema will now have a chance to achieve that very same double as he leads his nation into the 2022 World Cup.  

At the age of 34, the striker also became the oldest winner of the award since Stanley Matthews in 1956. 

Benzema was compared to a ‘fine wine’ by manager Carlo Ancelotti during a video package at the event. The Italian couldn’t have been more right as his star striker continues to get better with age.  

The stats also back that notion up. The France international enjoyed his career-best season for goals last term, bagging 44 in 46 games across all competitions. 

That was not only his best goal return since the 2011/12 campaign – when he scored 32 goals – but it was also the first time he surpassed 40 in one season.  

However, goals are not the only facet of the game which Benzema brings to the table. While former Real stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo brough individuality, the Frenchman was always regarded as the ultimate team player.  

Benzema’s return of 14 assists across all competitions last season certainly underlines that point.  

Scoring goals and creating assists are all important components behind a Ballon d’Or winner. But another crucial element is doing both of these things in the biggest moments and the biggest games of the year. 

Benzema can certainly lay claim to that. The player almost single-handedly dragged his team through the Champions League knockout stage.  

First came his hat-trick against PSG which allowed Los Blancos to turn a 1-0 first leg deficit into an emphatic triumph.  

Then came his heroics against Chelsea. The Frenchman bagged another hat-trick in the opening match, but his crowning moment came in the rematch as he prevented a potentially historic Blues turnaround by scoring the tie winner in extra-time.  

In the semi-final, it was Manchester City’s turn to feel the wrath of Benzema.  

City won the opening leg 4-3 with Real’s striker grabbing a brace. A week later, Benzema once again came to the rescue as he bagged an extra-time winner to send his team into the Champions League final.  

While he may not have scored against Liverpool, there’s no argument that Real wouldn’t have been in Paris if not for Benzema’s exploits.  

The player rightfully claimed the competition’s player of the season award as well as the golden boot.  

Benzema scored a total of 15 goals during the Champions League campaign – two more than Robert Lewandowski and seven ahead of Mo Salah.  

One extraordinary stat is that he scored more goals in the competition than 23 of the clubs who qualified for the group stages. This includes some of the heavyweights such as Man United, Barcelona, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund.  

It’s worth noting that the forward was just as deadly when it came to La Liga. The 34-year-old powered to the domestic golden boot with 27 goals to his name.  

Second on the list was Iago Aspas with 18, followed by Real teammate Vinicius Junior on 17. 

One stat which really underlines Benzema’s impact is the fact he was directly responsible for 48.75% of Madrid’s league goals in the 2021/22 season.  

Benzema’s 12 La Liga assists meant his goal contribution for the season was 1.35 per game – his best turnaround since the 2015/16 campaign.  

There are a lot more stats which illustrate his excellence, but the point being made is obvious – Benzema was the rightful winner of the Ballon d’Or. What’s more, if he really is like a fine wine, expect his to make a claim for a second France Football crown this time next year.