Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema will be crowned the winner of the Ballon d’Or during Monday night’s ceremony in Paris.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have won 12 of the last 13 Ballon d’Or awards, dominating the award since 2008. Luka Modric is the only player to come in between, grabbing the award in 2018 and it is expected that another Madrid star break this alignment.
Benzema will be crowned the winner tonight, having missed out on a place on the podium at last year’s ceremony when Messi beat Robert Lewandowski in the race, with Chelsea midfielder and Italian Jorginho finishing third.
Benzema had been the odds-on favorite thanks to a sensational 21-22 season – headlined by a Champions League triumph, with his outstanding performances seeing his side beat Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool in their way to win the prestigious race.
It’s set to be a strong night, with Benzema’s Real Madrid team-mate Thibaut Courtois poised to win the Yashin Trophy, the award that recognizes the best goalkeeper of last season. The Kopa trophy – the award for the best young player in world football, named in honor of French icon Raymond – will go to Barcelona midfielder Gavi, a year after his team-mate Pedri lifted the trophy.
Details of the winners have been published by Marca, with each award winner named although the vote share and ranking of the other players are not listed.