The Real Madrid striker claimed his first Golden Ball in Paris on Monday after a remarkable 2021-22 season for both club and country.
And there you have it – Karim Benzema, Ballon d'Or 2022 winner.If that has come as a shock to you, then where have you been the past 12 months?
Benzema's prize is thoroughly well deserved after a 2021-22 season that saw him cement his status as one of the best centre-forwards of his generation, and a Real Madrid icon.
He won three trophies over the course of the campaign, including a La Liga-Champions League double, while he was also instrumental in France winning the UEFA Nations League.
A leader through both his weight of personality and his on-field performances, Benzema was, in the end, the run-away winner in the Ballon d'Or vote.
But how did he do it? GOAL tells the story of one of the best individual seasons of the past few years…
Getty ImagesAugust
With uncertainty surrounding the Santiago Bernabeu following the slightly surprising summer appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as manager, Madrid needed to get off to a good start, and Benzema helped ensure they did just that.
He scored twice, including the Blancos' first goal of the campaign, in their season-opening 4-1 win away at Alaves, though they did drop points the following week against Levante.
Benzema provided two assists in that 3-3 draw, and backed that up by crossing for Dani Carvajal to score the only goal of the game against Real Betis to round out the month.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesSeptember
After beginning the month with three goalless games for France, Benzema returned to Madrid having gone five matches without finding the net for club and country.
He soon put that right, though, netting a hat-trick in a 5-2 win over Celta Vigo to kickstart a month that saw him score seven times in six September matches.
That included a double against Mallorca that helped bring up his 200th league strike for Madrid, while he also provided a clutch of assists that put him on a record-breaking pace in La Liga.
No player had ever previously had 15 direct goal involvements in the first six games of a Spanish top-flight season, but Benzema was only just getting started.
Getty ImagesOctober
October proved to be a quieter month in front of goal for Benzema in Madrid colours, as he netted just twice in four outings, but it was the month that provided him with his first piece of silverware of the season.
The striker netted in both the semi-finals and final of the Nations League, against Belgium and Spain respectively, as France came from behind both times to lift the trophy in Italy.
His partnership with Kylian Mbappe was clearly blossoming at international level, and that left Madrid fans dreaming of what the pair could produce together if paired together in the Spanish capital.
Getty ImagesNovember
To underline just how ridiculous Benzema's 2021-22 season was, November felt like one of his quieter months, and yet he still managed to score eight goals in seven games for club and country.
That included both goals in a 2-0 Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk and strikes in narrow league victories over Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla at either end of the month.
He ended November by narrowly missing out on a podium finish in the 2021 Ballon d'Or race, ranking fourth behind Jorginho, Robert Lewandowski and six-time winner Lionel Messi.