(Reuters) – Real Madrid’s French striker Karim Benzema deserves to win the Ballon d’Or this yr after serving to to information his crew to the Champions League title, seven-times winner of the award Lionel Messi stated on Monday.
Benzema had the perfect season of his 13-year profession at Real, scoring 44 targets with 15 assists in all competitions as they gained a LaLiga-Champions League double.
The 34-year-old topped the scoring charts in each competitions and netted hat-tricks towards Paris St Germain and Chelsea within the knockout levels to safe Real’s progress.
“There are not any doubts, it’s extremely clear that Benzema had a spectacular yr and ended up victorious within the Champions League,” PSG ahead Messi stated on Argentine tv.
“He was basic in all of the matches from the spherical of 16 onwards. I feel there isn’t a doubt this yr.”
The Ballon d’Or award for the perfect soccer participant on the earth will likely be introduced on Oct. 17, with the nominees set to be revealed on Aug. 12.
The prestigious trophy will now be awarded on the premise of a daily season from August to July moderately than a calendar yr.
Real Madrid’s victory over Liverpool gave them their 14th European Cup triumph — twice as many as the following most profitable crew AC Milan.
Benzema’s hat-trick within the second leg eradicated PSG 3-2 on mixture within the final 16, but once more stopping the French membership from profitable Europe’s elite membership competitors for the primary time.
“The Real Madrid recreation killed us, me and everybody within the dressing room. We had quite a lot of hope. It makes me need to win once more,” Messi added.
“But the perfect crew does not at all times win the Champions League. I do not take credit score away from Real Madrid, they weren’t the perfect on this competitors and but they beat everybody.”
(Reporting by Ramiro Scandolo, Writing by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
