Alexia Putellas and Karim Benzema received the Ballon d’Or award for the perfect gamers on the planet on Monday.
Putellas stored her title as the perfect ladies’s participant in 2022 after scoring 18 objectives to steer her staff, Barcelona, to a different home trophy.
The Catalan staff received all 30 league video games in addition to each home cups, however an ACL damage prevented her from enjoying within the European Championship.
Spain, her nationwide staff, misplaced to the eventual champions, England, within the quarter-finals.
“I’m very pleased to be again right here,” Putellas mentioned on the ceremony in Paris.
Putellas beat out fellow forwards Beth Mead of Arsenal and England and Sam Kerr of Chelsea and Australia for the award.
“Successful final 12 months pushed me to need to be even higher. With out my teammates, this wouldn’t have been potential. I need to thank the coaches and technical employees who assist me to enhance daily,” she mentioned.
The French striker beat Robert Lewandowski, Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne to the highest males’s prize.
Benzema had a stellar season with Actual Madrid, scoring 44 objectives in 46 video games in all competitions as he helped information them to a LaLiga and Champions League double. His 15 objectives within the Champions League guided Actual to a record-extending 14th title.
“This prize in entrance of me makes me actually proud. After I was small, it was a childhood dream, I by no means gave up… Something is feasible,” the ahead mentioned on stage on the ceremony.
Benzema was not a part of the France squad that triumphed on the 2018 World Cup in Russia however, barring an damage, will compete on the match in Qatar subsequent month.
After almost six years out following his involvement in a intercourse tape scandal — and having been discovered responsible of conspiring to blackmail his teammate Mathieu Valbuena, which his legal professionals pledged to attraction — Benzema was recalled by France coach Didier Deschamps final 12 months forward of the European Championship and has performed commonly since.
“There was a troublesome interval once I wasn’t within the French staff however I by no means gave up. I am actually happy with my journey right here. It wasn’t straightforward, it was a troublesome time for my household as properly.”
His 15 objectives within the Champions League guided Actual to a record-extending 14th title.
Awarded by France Soccer journal, the Ballon d’Or has been given out to males for 66 years. The ladies’s trophy was created in 2018. Each had been cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
