Perhaps the most popular and prestigious award for every football player is the Ballon d’Or. It is awarded annually to the best athletes. It was first awarded back in 1956. Who will be this year’s most deserving player?
Many fans have already formed their own assumptions about this. According to them, the most deserving player to receive the Golden Ball award in 2022 is the Frenchman Karim Benzema. He really shows decent results throughout the current season. For example, most recently in a match with the Manchester City team, Karim took a penalty, which led his team to the long-awaited final.
Karim Benzema really deserves the award
Loyal fans who often bet on football already know that Benzema has scored 43 goals this season in 43 games for Real Madrid, according to official statistics. By the way, the first winner of this award Alfredo Di Stefano in the 1956-1957 season, as well as Hugo Sanchez in 1986-1987, had previously had the same number of well-aimed hits.
Most likely, Karim Benzema will be able to break this record. The head coach of the Real Madrid team is actually sure that his strong ward simply has no competitors. He even gave interviews in the media, where his arguments looked very convincing. For this reason, this event attracted many readers who were not previously into football at all.
Carlo Ancelotti said that Benzema actually never needed to be taught and directed, he already knows how to play better. This is an excellent player who is not replaceable yet. As a person, Karim is humble, sensitive and polite. Although he has now become world-famous, that does not stop him from remaining so. In terms of results, he is playing a great and strong game, winning many matches, thereby securing the right to become the owner of the Golden Ball award. His strength lies in his modesty and respect. Of course, this victory will be not only his merit, but also the merit of the entire football club.
The head coach also said that Benzema has long been in his best physical shape and shows high performance. So he has no doubts about it. After all, Karim deserves to receive an award. Moreover, in his opinion, his ward should have worn this title for a long time.
The head of the Real Madrid football club spoke about this. He said that Benzema cannot be taken away from this title again. The thing is that a lot of things today are decided by the media. For this reason, the player may again have difficulties. By the way, one of the tips for beginners in sports betting will be the following information: always consider what they say about the athlete in the media and what kind of reputation he has. After all, if a player has a negative image, he can be deprived of titles, titles and awards. Unfortunately, this is the harsh reality.
The French player remains the most triumphant in the Ballon d’Or rankings so far. The excellent Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah has risen to second place. Previously, this line was occupied by Robert Lewandowski from Bayern. He, in turn, was ahead of Kalian Mbappe from PSG. Fifth place is still held by Liverpool’s Sadio Mane.
It is also interesting that two famous players could not break into the top 20 of this rating. We are talking about Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United and Lionel Messi from PSG. And all because they did not show results that would be enough to further fight for the title. This fact helps Karim Benzema to remain a leader.
Competing for the Ballon d’Or
Still, it is worth taking a closer look at the players occupying the top five positions in the rankings. Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski were almost immediately eliminated from the Champions League. They are much weaker than Benzema. But the players Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are still serious competitors. Because they are capable of defeating the Real Madrid team, for which Karim Benzema himself plays. However, the French footballer still shows better results.
Mohamed Salah has scored 30 goals this season. Sadio Mane’s performance is not outstanding at all: only 20 goals. However, the media, on the contrary, think that it is Mane who is the most worthy player for the Golden Ball award. Also, according to the British press, Manet is considered another significant competitor. For reasons unknown to anyone, the world community decided to support this, completely forgetting about Mohamed Salah. Literally every country supports this opinion.
Prominent Arsenal footballer Thierry Henry has given his opinion. He believes that Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane are the main favourites. According to him, such a rivalry will leave everyone intrigued until the very end. Of course, Benzema is stronger, but if Sadio can win the Champions League, then this can drastically affect the fight for the title. Thierry himself supports Karim. He also noted that Mane’s victory would be a real celebration for Africa.
Jurgen Klopp, head coach of the Liverpool national team, has already managed to give his comments on this matter. He believes that Manet deserves the Golden Ball award. Sadio also shows high and award-worthy results. Jurgen could not give an exact answer, due to the fact that the season has not yet ended. Although, he noted that in order to win this title, it is often necessary to win any other tournaments and championships. For example, the Champions League or other prestigious competitions. One high statistics of results will not be enough.
So, according to many, Karim Benzema has, roughly speaking, suffered the Golden Ball award. Unfortunately, no one can guarantee this yet, for the reason that much depends on the world media. It is they who decide who is worthy of receiving this title. The rating of the British media, which we analyzed above, has a huge impact on the final results. Many fans have already called this rating “Anti-Madrist”. And all because, there is a special attitude towards the teams “Barcelona” and “PSG”, as well as to Messi himself. And these are not empty words. After all, he already received the Golden Ball title, even in the season when he showed far from the best results. In addition, even this year, the campaign for Mane and against Benzema has already begun. Let’s hope that these are just arguments, and that in fact this year a truly worthy football player will receive the award.
