Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema fended off competition from Robert Lewandowski, Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne, to win his first Ballon d’Or award.
The Frenchman has been crowned with the most prestigious individual prize in World football following his phenomenal performance for Real Madrid under the year review.
The striker netted 44 times in 46 outings in all competitions — firing Los Blancos to LaLiga and Champions League glory and becoming the top scorer in both competitions.
Lionel Messi who won the award seven times and his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo (five times) were both in attendance at the ceremony, but neither player were in contention for the trophy.
Ronaldo came 20th in the voting while Messi Messi failed to make the cut for the shortlist.
After winning the top prize the 34-year-old said “This prize in front of me makes me proud of the work I did from a young age. I had the motivation, I had two role models in my life, Zidane and Ronaldo. I always had this dream in my mind that anything was possible.”
“There were difficult periods where I wasn’t in the French team but I kept working hard. I’m really proud of my journey here. It wasn’t easy, it was difficult. It was hard for my family as well. To be here today, I’m just really happy. I would like to thank my team-mates.” He added.
Benzema also enjoyed a stellar campaign with the France national team on his return to the international stage when he played a pivotal role in Les Bleus’ route to Uefa Nations League success.