Benzema wins Ballon d'Or

Karim Benzema has won the Ballon d'Or after having his best season ever at Madrid, being the top scorer in both leagues. He scored 44 times with Madrid, including 15 in Europe's top competition, and matched Raul Gonzalez as the club's second-highest scorer behind Cristiano Ronaldo.

Report informs, citing foreign media, that Benzema won ahead of Sadio Mane and Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne. Mane played for Liverpool last season and joined Bayern Munich in the summer.

Benzema succeeded Lionel Messi, who won the award for a record-extending seventh time last year but was not among the nominees this time after his first season with Paris Saint-Germain.

He became the fifth Frenchman to win it after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin and Zinedine Zidane, who was crowned in 1998, the year France won its first World Cup.

Benzema was not part of the France squad that triumphed at the 2018 World Cup in Russia but, barring an injury, will compete at the tournament in Qatar next month.