Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema was crowned the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner last night but the striker already has his sights set on the next goal in his career.
Benzema became the first Frenchman to win the award since Zinedine Zidane back in 1998 as the 34-year-old produced a stellar season for Real Madrid, winning the Champions League and La Liga whilst scoring 44 goals and assisting a further 15 across 46 matches in all competitions.
Off the back of winning the coveted award, Benzema revealed his next target, telling RMC Sport: “The promises to my mother have been kept, that’s why I’m very proud. I still have ambitions, I would like to win the World Cup with the French team. It’s a goal: to go to the World Cup and do everything to win it.”
Benzema was absent in 2018 when France won the World Cup in Russia as he was not involved in the national team set-up.
In 2022, the Real Madrid star has a big role to play as the defending champions look to keep hold of their crown, which would cap off a memorable year for the new Ballon d’Or winner.