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.

It was a reward for 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 teammates shine and Monday’s trophy for the best player in the world was just reward for the selfless forward.

Read in Daily Maverick: “Everything Karim Benzema touches turns to goals” 

“It’s a collective victory. It’s an individual trophy but without your teammates 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 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.

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 teammates score. The World Cup is the next challenge,” he said ahead of the finals starting on 20 November.

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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 wins again

Barcelona and Spanish international Alexia Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or for a second straight year, beating England’s European Championship winner Beth Mead and Australia’s Sam Kerr.

Putellas, who was also named Fifa Best Women’s Player earlier in 2022, was top scorer in the Champions League last season with 11 goals and scored 18 in the Primera Division.

Alexia Putellas receives her second Ballon d’Or award at Theatre Du Chatelet in Paris. (Photo: Aurelien Meunier / Getty Images)

The 28-year-old missed the Euros for Spain, however, after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury on the eve of the tournament in England.

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.

Read in Daily Maverick: “Belligerent Barcelona Femení – the rise of a European powerhouse”

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

Poland’s Robert 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. Reuters/DM