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Alexia Putellas and Karim Benzema have been named the 2022 Ballon d’Or winners at the annual football awards ceremony in Paris. Putellas retains her title as the world’s best women’s player after leading Barcelona to another Spanish title, scoring 18 goals in the process. Barça won all 30 of their league games and also won the Spanish Cup and Super Cup, but lost the Women’s Champions League final to Lyon and she missed the Euros after suffering an ACL injury. “I’m very happy to be back here,” Putellas said. “Winning last year pushed me to want to be even better. Without my teammates, this wouldn’t have been possible. I want to thank the coaches and technical staff who help me to improve every day.” Benzema has won the men’s award for the first time after leading Real Madrid to the Spanish title and their 14th European Cup. The 34-year-old scored 27 goals in La Liga and was also the top scorer in the Champions League with 15. Ten of those goals came in the knockout stages, including hat

Mohammed Badra (EFE) Paris (France), 17/10/2022.- Karim Benzema (2-R) of Real Madrid poses with the Men'Äôs Ballon d'Or Trophy next to former Ivorian soccer player Didier Drogba (L), former soccer player Zinedine Zidane (2-L) and French-British TV journalist Sandy Heribert (R), during the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris, France, 17 October 2022. For the first time the Ballon d'Or, presented by the magazine France Football, will be awarded to the best players of the 2021-22 season instead of the calendar year. (Francia) EFE/EPA/Mohammed Badra Karim Benzema became the fifth Frenchman to win the Ballon d’Or on Monday, receiving recognition for a remarkable 2021-22 season. In his speech, Benzema remembered Zidane and Ronaldo, two legends he saw as inspirational role models growing up. “Ronaldo knows he is my idol. There was no striker like him. What he did on the pitch was impossible to repeat. He’s history, he’s the only striker that if I was on the bench and he was starting