Karim Mostafa Benzema. It’s a hugely popular name in the world of football at the moment. It’s a name on everyone’s lips. It’s a name that has found a place to be spoken of alongside the very best in the game. It’s a name that deserves to win a Ballon d’Or. That begs the question: where does the Real Madrid No. 9 rank among all the 2022 Ballon d’Or contenders thus far?
Benzema actually has a strong case as far as his chances of winning the 2022 Ballon d’Or are concerned. He already has 50 goal contributions this season (37 goals, 13 assists) in just 37 appearances. That is simply incredible. It is only normal for people to talk about Benzema being a potential contender for the next Ballon d’Or given his ethereal form. He’s been almost unplayable.
Now, coming back to the question at the end of the first paragraph. This season, there are many players who might be real contenders to win the coveted individual accolade come the end of the season. Let’s take a look at the top 10 contenders for the Ballon d’Or, and where Big Benz ranks among them.
10. Christopher Nkunku (CAM/ST, RB Leipzig)
Yes, Christopher Nkunku has made this list. Signed from Paris Saint-Germain for just €13 million (an absolute steal), Nkunku couldn’t do much during his first two seasons, scoring a paltry 12 goals. But this season, he has taken off and never looked back. In 41 games this season, the Frenchman has 27 goals and 17 assists to his name.
As good as he has been in the league (16 goals and 13 assists), it was his Champions League exploits that place him in 10th place on the list. Nkunku scored a hattrick against Manchester City in a 6-3 defeat in the Group Stage. He even scored and assisted a goal each in a 2-2 draw against his former team PSG. Although he couldn’t help RB Leipzig proceed to the Round of 16, he ended the campaign with seven goals and two assists in 531 minutes of UCL.
In Bundesliga, he has goal contributions against top teams like Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayer Leverkusen, proving to be a big-game player for RB Leipzig, who are currently enjoying a seven-game unbeaten run, during which Nkunku has scored six times and laid on four goals for his teammates.
It will be interesting to see if he can hit 50 goal contributions by the end of the season.
9. Trent Alexander-Arnold (RB, Liverpool)
Is there a better full-back, let alone a right-back, than Trent Alexander-Arnold in the world at the moment? The Liverpool man has been extraordinary. In fact, ever since I started watching football, I haven’t seen a right-back producing such numbers in a four-man defence. Trent is on a different plane altogether.
In 36 games, the 23-year-old has two goals and 17 assists (!) in all competitions. Not just that, but we all know that he is Liverpool’s primary set-piece taker. In addition to his evident offensive prowess, he has improved defensively too.
Talking about the top five European Leagues, here are the stats where Trent Alexander-Arnold is among the leaders (stats according to FBRef):
- Joint-3rd in assists (11)
- 3rd in xA/expected assists (9.6)
- Joint-3rd in xA per 90 (0.37)
- 5th in key passes (76)
- Joint-2nd in passes into penalty area (73)
- 1st in progressive passes (238)
- Joint-1st in through balls completed (17)
- Joint-5th in shot-creating actions (128)
- 4th in touches (2413)
Those are very, very impressive numbers for a full-back. It shows how big of an impact Trent has on Liverpool’s attack. He is the only defender to make this list, and deservedly so.
8. Vinícius Júnior (LW, Real Madrid)
Scoring just 15 goals in his previous three seasons combined, Vinícius Júnior has well and truly delivered on his hype when he was first signed from Brazilian club Flamengo by scoring 17 goals this season alone. He is among the best players of the world at the moment.
In all likelihood, he will breach the 20-goal mark. But it’s not just goals that make Vini Jr. a part of this list. He also has 15 assists to his name. He has been extremely consistent, and leads the Champions League stats in multiple departments.
He has been the perfect foil to Karim Benzema. Their strike partnership has been pivotal for Real Madrid this season, and Madridistas can only hope that Vini Jr. keeps on delivering in big games just like he has in almost all big games this season.
7. Riyad Mahrez (RW, Manchester City)
Riyad Mahrez is enjoying one of his best seasons yet, if not the best. But I believe this might very well be his best season yet. He is Manchester City’s top scorer with 22 goals, and have seven assists to complement those goalscoring numbers.
What’s more impressive is the rate at which he is contributing a goal or an assist. Having played 2,376 minutes, he has registered a goal or an assist every 82 minutes. That means he is directly contributing to a goal roughly every game.
Pep Guardiola has utilised Riyad Mahrez very smartly in rotation with the other attacking options at his disposal, and the efficiency of the Algerian is there for everyone to see. He has started in all but one Champions League game and is the top scorer for Citizens in the competition. Mahrez’s role will be super crucial if Manchester City are to clinch their maiden UEFA Champions League trophy.
6. Thibaut Courtois (GK, Real Madrid)
Thibaut Courtois is the best goalkeeper in the world. Period. And not only is he the best keeper around, but also one of the very best players in the world this season. The consistency with which the big Belgian has bailed Real Madrid time and again is outrageous. Now that I think about it, outrageous seems like an understatement.
Los Blancos would be nowhere without Thibaut Courtois (and Karim Benzema, coming back to him in a bit). He has had to make at least (emphasis on the word ‘at least’) one brilliant save in every single game. He has been the most important player for the team alongside Karim Benzema.
Courtois will hope he can carry this purple patch during the final stretch of the season as his contributions will very well decide the fate of Real Madrid.
5. Luka Modric (CM, Real Madrid)
The master of the midfield arts is showing no signs of slowing down. At 36 years and 7 months old, he is still among the most elite midfielders in the world.
Luka Modrić is putting up one of his best seasons ever as he is bringing joy to the faces of the Madridistas. And that is because he is himself enjoying playing football. “I’m enjoying it like never before. I always have, but now more than ever because you never know how long you’re going to last at this level,” said Modrić in January.
“I’m doing all I can to continue like this a few years more.”
Modrić has been influential in La Liga, playing a very important role in propelling Real Madrid at the top of the table. But it’s his exploits in the Champions League that have made his case stronger. Be it his immense showing against Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16 2nd leg last month, or his composed outing against Chelsea last Wednesday, the Croatian legend has done it at the biggest stage of them all, when it matters the most.
He is timeless!
4. Mohamed Salah (RW, Liverpool)
During the first few months of the campaign, Mohamed Salah was probably among the top two players in the Ballon d’Or. But him being fourth on this list shouldn’t deceive you. Mind you, he is still at the top of his game. Be it the Premier League (where he is currently heading the Golden Boot charts) or the Champions League, Salah has been Liverpool’s go-to man in all competitions, almost every game.
With 28 goals and 11 assists in all competitions in 39 games, Salah is set to grab another Golden Boot trophy, having already scored 20 league goals. On the other hand, he is leading Liverpool to yet another semi-final appearance in the competition, with the Reds having a comfortable 3-1 lead against Benfica.
But it’s not just about stats when it comes to Salah. He has been dangerous with the ball at his feet, and is the best right winger in the world for quite some time now. A lot of threat that Liverpool generate is because of the enigmatic Egyptian, directly or indirectly. And it’s also his ability to convert the toughest of chances that stands out. He makes goalscoring look so easy to the eye.
It goes without saying that Mohamed Salah will be the most dependable player on the team once again. With Liverpool just one point behind rivals Manchester City in the Premier League, we all can fancy Salah to go all guns blazing in the final few weeks of the 2021-22 campaign.
3. Kylian Mbappé (LW/ST, Paris Saint-Germain)
His 31 goals and 22 assists in all competitions make him the player with most goal contributions in all competitions from Europe’s top five leagues.
Although PSG have names like Lionel Messi and Neymar in their ranks, players who were considered amongst the very best in the world not long ago, it is 23-year-old Kylian Mbappé who has taken the responsibility to single-handedly win games for the Parisian outfit. He has outperformed the former Barcelona duo combined.
The two legs against Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 are the biggest example of just how good Mbappé has been. He scored a goal each in both legs, while a couple more goals were ruled out for an offside. He was impressive, and the hunger to guide his current team past his future employers was very much evident.
Although the Frenchman didn’t exactly have a great goalscoring start, he has been phenomenal since the turn of the year. It’s easy to forget that he is just 23 years old, because what he can pull off – and how often – isn’t surprising anymore.
With not much to play for in the remainder of the season, can Kylian Mbappé end the season as the player with the most goals + assists?
2. Robert Lewandowski (ST, Bayern Munich)
There isn’t a better goalscorer in the world at the moment. Lewandowski has pummeled goals left, right, and centre. He deserved the Ballon d’Or in 2020. He deserved it in 2021. He deserves the 2022 Ballon d’Or too. But, he’ll have to do in second place behind Karim Benzema. At least for now.
In 40 games, Lewandowski has scored an insane 46 goals. He is going to finish the season with more than 50 goals, unless (God forbid) he gets injured. Because the sort of form he is in, he might as well complete a half century of goals in the next game itself.
He is leading the goalscoring charts of both the Bundesliga and the UEFA Champions League, with 32 and 12 goals respectively. The sort of merciless finishing and clinical nature he has displayed have left me speechless. It would be a crime if this man finishes his career without a single Ballon d’Or.
1. Karim Benzema (ST, Real Madrid)
Before I say anything about Karim Benzema, I would like to apologize to all those who believe that Robert Lewandowski should be the frontrunner to win the 2022 Ballon d’Or. It was the toughest call for me to make, and Lewandowski would’ve been first on this list if not for Benzema’s hat-trick against Chelsea at the Stamford Bridge.
Yes, that hattrick, as it stands, is what separates the two best players in the world at the moment. Benzema finished fourth in the Ballon d’Or rankings in 2021. He had scored just 30 goals in 44 games in 2020-21. This season, he has been ruthless. He is producing the kind of numbers that Madridistas were used to seeing with Cristiano Ronaldo. In 36 games, Benzema has found the back of the net 37 times and racked up 13 assists.
That’s 50 goal contributions for Big Benz this season, on par with Robert Lewandowski (46 goals, 4 assists) and only behind his French compatriot Kylian Mbappé.
Alright, I will tell you all the list of things Benzema has achieved this season:
- 50 goals + assists in all club competitions for the first time in his career
- The only second player in history (alongside Cristiano Ronaldo) to score back-to-back Champions League knockout hattricks
- 2021-22 is the season where Benzema has scored the most goals in a single season (37)
- Most goals in a single Champions League campaign by the player (11)
- Most league goals during a season by the player (24, the same as he scored in 2015-16)
- The Frenchman with the most goals ever
Benzema has scored goals, agreed. But it’s the manner in which he is scoring his goals that sets him apart. Be it the two headers against Chelsea, or the third goal against PSG, Benzema has pulled off goals which very few could have pulled off. He has scored goals from the left foot, the right foot, the head, in the league, in the Champions League. In all major competitions, from all scoring parts of his body.
He is a complete footballer, and he was a complete player since a long, long time. The fact that he has set up 13 goals for his teammates in addition to all the goals he has scored showcases his playmaking skills, his underrated chance creation, and his incredible link-up play. Someone watching football for the first time wouldn’t be able to differentiate between midfielders and Karim Benzema.
Real Madrid are often toothless when Benzema doesn’t play. And when he does, Los Blancos are a completely different team. Just look at the 4-0 loss to Barcelona without Benzema and the 3-1 victories against PSG and Chelsea with Benzema. He not only brings balance to the side, but elevates those around him (re: Vinícius Júnior).
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Karim Benzema absolutely deserves to win the Ballon d’Or in 2022. He is carrying Los Blancos on his shoulders and to imagine a team without the No.9 is an unpleasant thought.