Benzema is the first French winner of the trophy since Zinedine Zidane in 1998, and the fifth overall, following Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, and Jean-Pierre Papin.
Benzema had his best season at Real Madrid, leading the league and the Champions League in scoring. He scored 44 goals for Real Madrid, including 15 in the Champions League, to tie Raul Gonzalez as the club’s second-highest scorer behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
Benzema triumphed over Sadio Manu00e9 and Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. Manu00e9 spent last season with Liverpool before joining Bayern Munich in the summer.
Benzema was not a member of France’s World Cup-winning squad in Russia in 2018, but he will compete in Qatar next month, barring an injury.
