Even before the last edition was handed out to Lionel Messi, there were people routing for the Frenchman to get the award after his stellar season with Real Madrid and remarkable return to the French National team.
Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Karim Benzema, 33, helped France to the UEFA Nations League success where they beat Spain in the final on the back of the season he had with Madrid. Though they finished second in La Liga, behind champions Atletico Madrid and also lost out to Chelsea in the semi final of the champions league, it was obvious the striker had a good campaign.
He finished the season in the league with 23 goals only behind Lionel Messi while also scoring six times in the Real Madrid’s run to the semi final of the Champions League.
Robert Lewandowski did stood a better chance than Benzema last season as it was the Pole whom many had thought would claim the prize but finished second behind Lionel Messi. This season however Benzema so far has a clear route to claiming the prize.
Karim Benzema so far has been better than any other player. Apart from his goalscoring form, the influence he has had on this Real Madrid team has been stupendous and whenever in action with Les Blues, he is at the top of his game.
He has already won the Spanish Super Cup for Real Madrid this season while they appear to be running away with the La Liga title with seven games to go. His contributions to the team has been very crucial and that has been evidence even in the whole of La Liga.
Karim Benzema has scored 24 goals in the La Liga this season, at least ten more than the nearest rival. His total of eleven assists is also the most in the Spanish topflight, level with Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele, who appears to be in the mood for assisting goals lately.
Furthermore, Benzema has also created the most big chances in th league this season, 12 and these contributions have been worth a 12 point gap lead for Madrid on the league summit, leaving Carlo Ancelotti side needing just 13 points from their remaining seven games to claim their second league title in three years.
In the Champions League, Benzema has scored 12 goals this season, becoming the first French player to score 10+ goals in a single Champions League campaign. In the quarter final, he scored four goals over two legs against defending Champions, Chelsea, who rarely concede goals in the knockout rounds of the competition since last season.
As club football for the season ends next month, it is no brainer that Karim Benzema is ahead of everyone else in the race for the Balon d’Or and with the World Cup not coming until after the Balon d’Or has been awarded in October, it will be tough not to see him become the first French player to win the award since Zinedine Zidane in 1998.
(Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
Benzema continues to lead the way on goal contributions in Europe top five league this season with 35 goal involvement while he also has a good chance to become the top scorer in the champions league, currently one behind Robert Lewandowski, who has now been eliminated from the competition.
The signs are looking great for the Real Madrid No. 9 to claim the prize later this year and for all and sundry, he will be one of the most deserved winner of the prize in a very controversial world of football as per individual awards.
Author: Kehinde Hassan Afolabi
