A first crown before supreme recognition? Karim Benzema received in Istanbul, Thursday, August 25, the title of best UEFA player of the year. Ln°9 of Real Madrid was preferred to his partner Thibaut Courtois and the Belgian of Manchester City, Kevin de Bruyne. Winner of the Spanish Championship and the Champions League, author of 44 goals in 46 games with Real and winner of the selection of the modest League of Nations with the Blues, Benzema has had a full season.
The 2021/22 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year is… KARIM BENZEMA!
15 #UCL goals – including 10 in the knockouts – as well as 27 in the Spanish Liga!
Add a #NationsLeague triumph with France and it was an unforgettable campaign!
Congratulations, Karim!#UEFAawards pic.twitter.com/4tMZcunNRE
— UEFA (@UEFA) August 25, 2022
The former Lyonnais becomes the second French player to be awarded this prize after Franck Ribéry in 2013. “This year has been the best of my career on a personal level, but when I step onto the pitch, I think about the collective and I knew that the collective aspect was going to lead me to this”explained the Frenchman.
Before him, two Real Madrid players had been crowned: Cristiano Ronaldo (2014, 2016, 2017) and Luka Modric in 2018. The Madrid striker succeeds the Italian Jorginho, winner in 2021 of the Euro and the Champions League with Chelsea.
This prize, awarded by a jury composed of “participating clubs in European Cups” and a “group of journalists”serves as an appetizer before the B ceremonygo gold. Scheduled for October 17 in Paris, Karim Benzema is the favorite there.
The tighter women’s prize went to the Spaniard Alexia Putellas, holder of the Ballon d’Or. The Barcelona player is a surprise because she did not play the Euros due to a serious knee injury on the eve of the start of the competition.
Champions League finalist (3-1 defeat against Lyon) and Spanish champion with 30 wins in 30 matches, Putellas (28) is ahead in particular of the Englishwoman Beth Mead, yet crowned European champion at home with the “Lionesses” and named best player of the competition, that she ended up as co-top scorer.
The prize for the best coach was given to Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid), architect of the 14th C1 of the Madrid club, while for the women’s teams, it was the coach of England, the Dutch Sarina Wiegman, who was sacred.