France forward Karim Benzema has expressed his ambition to win the World Cup in Qatar after winning the Ballon d’Or. The Real Madrid star is the fifth Bleus player to lift the gong.
The 34-year-old produced a magnificent season during the 2021/22 campaign as he scored 44 goals over 46 games. He also laid on 15 assists in all competitions as Los Blancos won La Liga and the Champions League. They were his fourth and fifth titles respectively so far.
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Benzema was instrumental to Real Madrid’s domestic and European success last season as the Lyon native finished both tournaments as the top scorer. The Galacticos captain hit the back of the net 27 times in 32 La Liga games and 15 times over 12 Champions League ties.
Now, France Football has recognised Benzema as the best male footballer of the year with his first Ballon d’Or win. The gong follows UEFA recognising the striker as its’ Men’s Player of the Year in August. UEFA also considered him winning the 2020/21 Nations League title.
Benzema is now the fifth French player to win the Ballon d’Or and the first since 1998. He follows Raymond Kopa (1958), Michel Platini (1983, ‘84, ‘85), Jean-Pierre Papin (1991) and Zinedine Zidane (1998). Now, Benzema wants to follow Zidane in also winning a World Cup.
Karim Benzema touts the World Cup as ‘still to come’ after his Ballon d’Or win
Zidane helped France win the nation’s first World Cup title at the 1998 edition. The 108-cap legend featured in five of Les Bleus’ fixtures at the tournament they hosted. The midfielder also hit two goals in the final to break the deadlock and double their lead to beat Brazil 3-0.
France will now travel to Qatar this year as the defending World Cup holders after winning the 2018 edition in Russia. But Benzema played no part in Didier Deschamps’s squad at the tournament. The 97-cap striker did not represent his nation from the end of 2015 to 2021.
Deschamps recalled Benzema in the middle of last year for what would prove to be a poor Euro 2020 campaign for France. Les Bleus exited the competition during the first knockout stage after losing to Switzerland 8-7 on penalties. Benzema scored twice over regular time.
The attacker also scored twice to draw 2-2 with Portugal in the group stage. Now, Benzema is keen to follow up his Ballon d’Or title by winning the World Cup at likely his final chance.
“I have ambition,” Benzema told AS. “I never won the World Cup with France. Things like that are still to come. It’s a goal. I have a lot of ambition and self-confidence. To go to the World Cup, to do everything I can to win it is my goal right now.”
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