2022 Ballon d'Or: France's Benzema and Spain's Putellas win

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema won the men's Ballon d'Or on Monday, becoming the first Frenchman to claim the most prestigious individual prize in football since Zinedine Zidane almost a quarter of a century ago.

In the women's Ballon d'Or contest, Alexia Putellas of Spain saw off stiff competition to win the award for the second year running.

Benzema, 34, was the overwhelming favourite after his remarkable performances last season helped his club win the Champions League and La Liga. He scored an astonishing 44 goals in 46 games for his club including 15 in the Champions League.

His exploits included a hat trick in 17 minutes against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16, and another away to Chelsea in the quarter-final first leg. He also scored three more goals over both legs of the semi-final against Manchester City.

Monday’s award means he is now only the fifth French player to win the coveted Ballon d'Or, following in the footsteps of Raymond Kopa (1958), Michel Platini (1983, 1984 and 1985), Jean-Pierre Papin (1991) and Zinedine Zidane (1998).

Benzema was also named the UEFA player of the year in August. He is living a marvellous twilight to his career with the 2022 World Cup, in which France go in as the defending champions, yet to come.

Putellas makes it two in a row

In the women’s Ballon d’Or contest, Alexia Putellas of Spain became the first player to win back-to-back awards, edging out a field of 20 contenders that included three members of England's European Championship-winning squad.

Putellas, who followed in the footsteps of Ada Hegerberg and Megan Rapinoe by winning a year ago, captained Barcelona to the Champions League final last season as well as a domestic league and cup double. She was the Champions League top scorer with 11 goals, although her club lost the final to Lyon.