It’s a brilliant revenge for Benzema, sometimes unloved scorer who ended up getting everyone to agree, as for Putellas, rewarded Monday evening at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, despite a serious injury which earned him to miss the Women’s Euro. Long confined in the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo (five Ballons d’Or) but finally winner of the 66th edition of the prestigious individual trophy, here is Benzema entered the pantheon of his sport, a year after the seventh title won by Lionel Messi.
This places him high, very high in the hierarchy of the best French footballers in history, he who in March 2022 became the best French scorer of all time with more than 400 goals on the clock.
Zidane the “big brother”
It is also Zidane, former coach of Benzema at Real who, according to him, played a role of “big brother” in his career, who presented the prestigious trophy awarded by the magazine France Football to his French successor. “This Ballon d’Or is individual, but it remains collective, it’s the people’s Ballon d’Or”, he added, applauded by the public who chanted his first name, before being joined on stage by Ibrahim, his 5-year-old son.
The center forward of Real was crowned ahead of the Senegalese Sadio Mané (Liverpool), African champion, and the Belgian Kevin De Bruyne, champion of England with Manchester City, the Mancunian team consoling itself with the price of the club of the season.
Putellas retains his property
For the Women’s Ballon d’Or, it’s Putellas once again marks the history of this trophy. She becomes the first winner to keep the trophy since its creation in 2018. Despite the serious injury which deprived her of the Euro won by England, the Catalan dribbled past her English competitors, Beth Mead in the lead, to register for her name on the charts again, despite a defeat in the Women’s Champions League final against Lyon (3-1).
But Putellas has so revolutionized Spanish and European women’s football in recent seasons that even without a European title, the jurors preferred her to her competitors, one year from the Women’s World Cup. “When I broke my knee, I thought I had missed my chance but in the end, the jury took into account (…) the work of the whole season”, savored the Barcelonan.
The other awards
Gavi, a young player from FC Barcelona won the Kopa Trophy for best young player. He succeeds his compatriot Pedri. Mané, second, is content with the Socrates Prize for committed footballer, rewarding his action in Senegal for the equal access of girls and actions to the practice of football.
Another rewarded player, Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona, ex-Bayern Munich) leaves him with the Gerd Müller Trophy for the best scorer of the season. Belgian Thibaut Courtois, goalkeeper for Real, wins the Yachine Trophy for best goalkeeper.