Ballon d’Or results LIVE: Winners revealed as Karim Benzema beats Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne to award
Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d’Or Feminin for the second year in a row while Thibaut Courtois, Sadio Mane, Robert Lewandowski and Gavi also won prizes
Karim Benzema has won the men’s Ballon d’Or, becoming just the second player outside of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to be awarded the prize in the past 15 years. Benzema won the trophy after leading Real Madrid to the LaLiga and Champions League double last season and scoring a remarkable 44 goals in 46 appearances for the Spanish club.
Benzema finished ahead of Sadio Mane, Kevin De Bruyne and Robert Lewandowski at the Paris ceremony to crown a sensational year for the France international, as he followed his Real Madrid team-mate Luka Modric by breaking through Messi and Ronaldo’s dominance of football’s greatest individual prize.
Earlier, Barcelona captain Alexia Putellas became the first two-time winner of the Ballon d’Or Feminin after taking back-to-back awards. England and Arsenal forward Beth Mead, who was the top scorer at Euro 2020, finished second, ahead of the Chelsea striker Sam Kerr. Barcelona midfielder Gavi won the Kopa Trophy for best young player while Thibaut Courtois won the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper.
Ballon d’Or: Thibaut Courtois wins Yashin Trophy!
A deserved award for the Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who was man of the match as his team defeated Liverpool in the Champions League final. Of all the clean sheets he kept last season, in stopping Liverpool in the 1-0 win that was by far the most important. Courtois is unquestionably the best goalkeeper in the world right now.
Sebastian Haller, who finished 13th in the Ballon d’Or and is in Paris, presents Courtois with the trophy. The Beglian finished ahead of Alisson, Edouard Mendy, Mike Maignan and Ederson to win the award.
Ballon d’Or: Top 10 continues
There’s another top-five finish for Mohamed Salah in the men’s Ballon d’Or as the Liverpool forward finishes ahead of PSG striker Kylian Mbappe. Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois is the top goalkeeper in this year’s rankings and will soon be confirmed as the Yashin Trophy winner.
5th: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
6th: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
7th: Thibaut Courtoius (Real Madrid)
Ballon d’Or: Robert Lewandowski wins the Gerd Muller award
... and for the second year in a row, Robert Lewandowski wins the Gerd Muller award! Before leaving Bayern Munich, Lewandowski broke Muller’s single-season record for goals in a Bundesliga season. “Because of him, I could do it,” Lewandowski says. “He is an inspiration to me.”
Lewandowski scored 57 goals in all competitions in his eighth and final season with Bayern Munich.
Ballon d’Or
Next up is the Gerd Muller trophy for best striker, named after the former Bayern Munich and Germany forward.
Ballon d’Or: Alexia Putellas wins back-to-back awards!
Here’s the ranking of the Ballon d’Or Feminin, with England and Arsenal striker Beth Mead in second place, ahead of the Chelsea striker Sam Kerr.
1st: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
2nd: Beth Mead (Arsenal)
3rd: Sam Kerr (Chelsea)
4th: Lena Oberdorf (Wolfsburg)
5th: Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona)
6th: Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg)
7th: Ada Hegerberg (Lyon)
8th: Wendie Renard (Lyon)
9th: Catarina Macario (Lyon)
10th: Lucy Bronze (Manchester City)
Ballon d’Or: Alexia Putellas wins back-to-back awards!
Alexia Putellas is a two-time Ballon d’Or winner! Despite suffering a serious knee injury and missing the Euro 2020 finals, the Spain midfielder becomes the first two-time winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or after scoring 24 goals for Barcelona last season.
“I’m very happy to be back here. A year ago I was able to win this prize and it’s customary to aim to get better. Without my team-mates this would not have been possible. They are here tonight and I want to thank our coaches and staff as well.”
Even after missing several months due to her knee injury, and with a long road ahead, the Barcelona captain currently stands above everyone else in the women’s game. Her performances at the sold-out Camp Nou in Barcelona’s Champions League run were sublime.
She says she hopes to be back fit in time for the Women’s World Cup next summer. “The battle is not won yet.”
Ballon d’Or: Ballon d’Or Feminin contenders
Alexia Putellas, Beth Mead and Sam Kerr will now contest the Ballon d’Or Feminin award.
Former AC Milan, Chelsea and Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko will present the prize and takes a moment to share a message with the world following the ongoing conflict in his homeland.
“I am proud of my country,” he says. “It is important to remember that the war is ongoing and to stay on the side of Ukraine.”
Ballon d’Or: Sadio Mane wins the Socrates Award
Sadio Mane is announced as the first winner of the Socrates Award. Named after the former Brazil captain, the award aims to promote a safer, more equitable and inclusive world through sport. Mane, as a player who gives back to his community in Senegal by helping to build hospitals in his hometown, is a worthy winner.
Ballon d’Or: Top 10 countdown continues
Erling Haaland, despite scoring 42 goals in just 39 appearances, finishes in 10th place in last season’s Ballon d’Or. That will become much higher next season, following his move to Manchester City.
He is followed by Luka Modric, who remained peerless in guiding Real Madrid to their 14th Champions League title, and Vinicious Junior, the scorer of Real Madrid’s winning goal in their 1-0 victory over Liverpool.
8th: Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
9th: Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
10th: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
Ballon d’Or: Gavi wins the Kopa Trophy!
Here’s the complete rankings with Bellingham fourth and Saka eighth:
1st: Gavi (Barcelona)
2nd: Eduardo Camavinga (Rennais, Real Madrid)
3rd: Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
4th: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)
5th: Nuno Mendes (Sporting CP, Paris Saint-Germain)
6th: Joško Gvardiol (RB Leipzig)
7th: Ryan Gravenberch (Ajax)
8th: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
9th: Karim Adeyemi (Red Bull Salzburg)
10th: Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
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