'What a beautiful moment': Karim Benzema receives Ballon d'Or trophy from Real Madrid legend Zidane - Watch

Real Madrid captain and French forward Karim Benzema was named the winner of the men's Ballon d'Or 2022 award on Monday in Paris. Declared as an outright favourite, the Real Madrid forward was rewarded for his spectacular performances in the 2021-2022 season where Los Blancos secured a record-extending European title after a remarkable LaLiga campaign. Legendary footballer Zinedine Zidane was beaming with pride when the French icon presented the golden ball to the Real Madrid striker during the gala event.

After the former Real Madrid head coach handed the Ballon d'Or trophy to Benzema at Paris's Theatre du Chatelet, the unforgettable interaction between the two French stalwarts of the beautiful game became a major hit on the internet. "Look at how happy Zinedine Zidane is for him. What a beautiful moment," a Twitter user said. "Zinedine Zidane was always there for Karim Benzema," another fan added.

ALSO READ: Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema wins Ballon d’Or 2022 for incredible 2021-22 season, 1st Frenchman since Zidane’s 1998 award

Interestingly, Madrid captain Benzema is the first Frenchman to win the Ballon d'Or since Zidane. The former Real Madrid head coach and club icon lifted the famous trophy in 1998. Zidane guided the French national team to their maiden FIFA World Cup title in the same year. Zidane also won three back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles when the French maestro was the head coach of Los Blancos.

"Zizou is a big brother. He was my coach (at Real from 2016-18 and 2019-21), it means a lot to me. He's the best French player in history, so it makes it even more special," Benzema said after collecting the Ballon d'Or trophy from Zidane. Benzema smashed 44 goals in 46 games for La Liga giants Real Madrid last season. Leading Carlo Ancelotti's men to their fourteenth European title, Benzema netted 15 goals in the 2021-2022 season of the UEFA Champions League. Benzema also won the UEFA Nations League title with France in the previous season. The veteran striker pipped Sadio Mane, Kevin De Bruyne and Robert Lewandowski to win his maiden golden ball in Paris.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.