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Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane has sent an emotional message to Karim Benzema after the striker lifted the 2022 Ballon d'Or award in Paris on Monday (October 17).
Benzema became the first French footballer to win the gold trophy since Zidane himself won it in 1998. After the centre-forward's victory, Zidane said (h/t Get French Football News):
"I am like a brother to Karim. We have a similar trajectory."
Zidane and Benzema were both born in France to parents of Algerian descent and started their senior careers at a French club. The former made his name at Cannes and Girondins de Bordeaux before earning a move to Juventus in 1996.
The latter earned his stripes at Olympique de Lyonnais before leaving them to join Real Madrid in 2009. Benzema, like Zidane (1998), could have won the FIFA World Cup in 2018 if he wasn't omitted due to a high-profile controversy involving national teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
Zidane and Benzema never shared the pitch as teammates at club or national level. The latter, however, scored 108 goals and laid out 49 assists in 208 matches across competitions with Zidane as the manager of Los Blancos.
The two won two La Liga titles and three UEFA Champions League trophies together during their time at Real Madrid. Zidane left the club for a second time on 27 May, 2021, after a trophyless campaign.
Benzema, meanwhile, is here to stay for a little while longer. The France international will see his contract automatically extended by another year after his Ballon d'Or win.
His deal now runs until the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
Sadio Mane finishes behind Real Madrid's Karim Benzema in 2022 Ballon d'Or rankings
If anyone was going to beat Benzema to the award in Paris this year, it was going to be Bayern Munich winger Sadio Mane.
Benzema finished the 2021-22 season with 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 games in all competitions. Mane, meanwhile, managed a tally of 23 goals and five assists in 51 games for Liverpool last campaign before he left for Bayern this summer.
The Senegal international came close to achieving an unprecedented quadruple when the Reds entered the month of May with the chance of winning four trophies that season. However, they lost the Premier League title to Manchester City by a solitary point.
The FA Cup and the EFL Cup were the only two trophies they could muster as Real Madrid won a tightly-contested Champions League final against them. Mane helped his country win the AFCON trophy for the first time in history in the same season.
He was awarded a career-high second-place finish in this year's award for his efforts.
