PARIS: Karim Benzema’s focus on being a team player was rewarded when the Real Madrid and France forward was presented with the Ballon d’Or award on Monday after a remarkable season that saw him win the Champions League and become indispensable for Les Bleus.

The 34-year-old, who made his comeback with the national team after a gap of almost six years over a blackmail scandal, was pivotal in Real’s Cham­pions League and La Liga double.

His partnership with Kylian Mbappe for his country, although not perfect, has made the world champions’ forward line one of the most formidable in the game.

Benzema, who has a killer instinct in front of goal, revels in making team-mates shine and Monday’s trophy for the best player in the world was just reward for the selfless forward.

“It’s a collective victory. It’s an individual trophy but without your team mates you can’t score. Sometimes you might get a screamer but, for me, football is a collective sport and I will always be a team player,” Benzema told Reuters.

Benzema, who turns 35 in December, the day after the World Cup final, is five months older than Lionel Messi was when the Argentine won the most prestigious individual award in football for the seventh time last year.

Indeed he is the oldest winner since England’s Stanley Matthews won the very first Ballon d’Or in 1956.

Benzema, who started his professional career at Olympique Lyonnais after being developed in their youth academy, joined Real in 2009 after four years with Lyon’s first team.

“I never surrendered. I was lucky to join Real, the best club in the world, and even if it was hard at the beginning, I stayed focused,” he said. “I’ve worked on my mental strength, I’ve been courageous and determined.”

Benzema was handed the Ballon d’Or trophy at Paris’ Theatre du Chatelet by the great Zinedine Zidane, the last French player to win the award back in 1998.

“Zizou is a big brother. He was my coach [at Real from 2016-18 and 2019-21], it means a lot to me. He’s the best French player in history so it makes it even more special,” Benzema said.

Benzema pipped Sadio Mane to the prize, with Kevin De Bruyne completing the podium and Robert Lewandowski coming fourth.

The striker will now be hoping to win his first piece of major silverware with France at the World Cup in Qatar, having missed out on the 2018 tournament, which they won in Russia.

“My goal is to continue to enjoy playing football, to score and make my team-mates score. The World Cup is the next challenge,” he said ahead of the finals starting on Nov 20. “There are things that are still left to be done. I hope to be in the squad for Qatar, to go to the World Cup and do everything to win it.

“ Although Benzema has had a complicated history with France and coach Didier Deschamps, he insisted his Ballon d’Or triumph did not prove anything.

“Revenge doesn’t help you grow,” he said. “I don’t want to dwell on my failures. They just give me more mental strength. I have no regrets. What happened, happened, but what matters is what is happening today.”

PUTELLAS RETAINS WOMEN’S PRIZE

The award was previously based on a player’s performances over the course of the calendar year. But the format has changed, with the prize now based on a player’s record over the last season.

That may have helped Barcelona’s Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas win the women’s award for a second straight year despite suffering a serious knee injury in July that saw her miss the European Championship with Spain.

Instead, Putellas’s performances with Barcelona were recognised after she top-scored in the Women’s Champions League to help the Catalans reach the final, which they lost to Lyon.

“It makes me even more annoyed to be injured, but I am very happy to be here,” Putellas said. “To retain the trophy is much harder. When I injured my knee I thought my chances of winning it had gone but in the end the jury based their decision on the whole of last season, of which I only missed one month.”

The 28-year-old edged out Beth Mead, who scored six goals for the England side that won the Euro on home soil. Sam Kerr of Chelsea and Australia came third.

Real’s Thibaut Courtois won the Lev Yashin award for the best goalkeeper last season, with the towering shot stopper making nine saves in the final to keep a clean sheet against Liverpool in a 1-0 victory in Paris.

However, the teams in the Champions League final lost out on the Best Club award, which went to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City who won a fourth Premier League title in five years.

Barca’s 18-year-old midfielder Gavi picked up the Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 player, while Bayern Munich forward Mane won the inaugural Socrates award, with the Senegal international recognised for his humanitarian efforts.

Lewandowski did not go home empty handed either as he picked up the Gerd Muller Trophy for the best striker after scoring 50 goals in all competitions for Bayern last season.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2022