Lewandowski showing respect to Benzema at Ballon D'or 2022
France Football crown Karim Benzema their 66th Ballon d'Or victor on Monday night as the world's best footballers are recognised for their efforts made throughout the 2021/22 season. For the first time ever, the 2022 Ballon d'Or will take into account the players' performances made over a season as opposed to the calendar year. Previously, the award was handed out at the end of the year. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have won 12 of the last 13 Ballon d’Ors - with Real Madrid’s Luka Modric winning as the sole outlier in 2018 - but this year Messi was not even nominated while Ronaldo is ranked 20th in the list. Karim Benzema has been deservingly awarded the 2022 Ballon d'Or after a decisive year with Real Madrid winning the Champions League and La Liga. The Frenchman netted 44 goals and had 15 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions for the Spanish club.