"He has shown that he deserves it" – Hugo Sanchez names his 2022 Ballon d'Or winner

Former Real Madrid forward Hugo Sanchez has claimed that striker Karim Benzema is the front-runner to win this year's Ballon d'Or award.

Benzema, who led Real Madrid to a prestigious double last season, has been pipped by players, pundits and coaches alike to win the Ballon d'Or. During the 2021-22 season, he contributed 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 matches for the La Liga giants across all competitions.

Speaking to MARCA, Sanchez lauded the 34-year-old attacker and said that he deserves the annual award presented by France Football. He said:

"It's this year's Ballon d'Or. It's very noticeable when Benzema is on the pitch and when he's not. With his experience, maturity, quality and leadership he has shown that he deserves it, and more so with the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League."

He continued:

"Before, players from the American continent were discriminated against because they couldn't vote for us to win the Ballon d'Or."

Benzema, who joined Los Blancos from Lyon in the summer of 2009, has been in the form of his life of late. Last season, he registered more goal contributions (59 G/A) than other Ballon d'Or contenders like Robert Lewandowski (57 G/A), Mohamed Salah (47 G/A) and Sadio Mane (28 G/A).

Apart from guiding his team to the La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League crown, he also lifted the Supercopa de Espana trophy last campaign. Furthermore, Benzema also helped his national team France emerge victorious in the UEFA Nations League final against Spain in October last year.

Karim Benzema set to win his first-ever Ballon d'Or?

Since 2018, Karim Benzema has been Real Madrid's talisman. After helping the club win the La Liga title in the 2019-20 season, he reached stratospheric standards last season.

Registering a goal or an assist in every 89 minutes last season, the striker picked up the prestigious Pichichi award and the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot in the 2021-22 season.

Even Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi has backed the Frenchman for this year's award. Speaking to TyC Sports, he said:

“There are no doubts. It’s very clear that Benzema had a brilliant year and ended up winning the UEFA Champions League, being fundamental from the last-16 onwards in every game.”

On his way to his fifth continental triumph, Benzema scored 15 goals in just 12 appearances. He also equalled Cristiano Ronaldo's record in the competition by scoring 10 goals in the knockout stages.