French star Karim Benzema has won the Ballon d'Or for Best Player in the World for 2022 at a ceremony held in Paris on Monday evening. This marks the first time Benzema has won the Ballon d'Or, surpassing Polish striker Robert Lewandowski from Barcelona, Senegalese forward Sadio Mané from Bayern Munich, and Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City. Benzema received the highest number of votes from selected journalists worldwide, a criterion established by "France Football," the awarding magazine.
Benzema had an outstanding year, leading his team, Real Madrid, to win both the Spanish league and the UEFA Champions League, and he topped the scoring charts in both competitions.
**Strong Arab Presence**
Egyptian star Mohamed Salah ranked fifth in the award standings, outperforming major football figures such as Croatian Luka Modrić, Norwegian Erling Haaland, and French Kylian Mbappé. Algerian star Riyad Mahrez placed twelfth in the player rankings after a strong season in which he won the Premier League with Manchester City.
**Other Awards**
Polish striker Robert Lewandowski received the "Gerd Müller" award for Best Striker from last season after topping the scoring lists in major leagues.
Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid was awarded the "Yashin Trophy" for Best Goalkeeper in the world, marking the fourth time "France Football" has presented this award.
Young Spanish midfielder Gavi received the "Kopa" award for Best Young Player in the world after his standout season with FC Barcelona.
Senegalese Sadio Mané was awarded the "Socrates" award for players committed to charitable work.
Manchester City won the "Club of the Year" award, surpassing Spanish Real Madrid and English Liverpool.
