REVEALED: Karim Benzema won the Ballon d’Or by a whopping 356 votes, smashing closest rival Sadio Mane… with the Bayern Munich star just 18 better off than third placed Kevin De Bruyne, while Robert Lewandowski missed out on the top three by just five
- Karim Benzema recorded the second biggest margin for a Ballon d’Or win
- He beat his closest competitor Sadio Mane by an incredible 356 votes
- It came after Benzema hit 44 Real Madrid goals in their double winning season
- Cristiano Ronaldo received no votes for the first time in 17 years
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Karim Benzema‘s recent Ballon d’Or victory came by an impressive margin of 356 votes, as he comfortably beat his nearest challenger Sadio Mane.
It is the second biggest win in the award’s history, topped only by Cristiano Ronaldo‘s win by 429 votes in 2016.
Benzema recorded 549 votes after he hit 44 goals across all competitions for Real Madrid last season, as they won both La Liga and the Champions League.
Karim Benzema won the Ballon d’Or with the second biggest margin in the award’s history
Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane came second and received the inaugural Socrates award
He was particularly impressive in Europe, scoring 15 times in 12 games including two hat tricks.
Kevin De Bruyne came in 18 votes off Mane after his role in Manchester City’s title win, while Robert Lewandowski missed out on the podium by just five votes and Mo Salah came fifth.
Other Premier League players on the list, which was revealed by France Football, included Erling Haaland (18 votes), Son Heung-Min (five votes), Riyad Mahrez (four votes) and Fabinho (two points).
There were also a number of Premier League players who received no votes, most notably Ronaldo.
It is the first time in seventeen years the striker has failed to make the podium, who won the most recent of his five Ballon D’or trophies in 2017.
His arch rival Lionel Messi was omitted from the shortlist of 30 altogether, the first time he had been absent since 2005.
England stars Harry Kane, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden also propped up the shortlist after failing to receive a vote.
After taking home the award, Benzema told Spanish radio station Onda Cero how much it meant after his long career.
Kevin De Bruyne was the highest placed Premier League player, coming third with 175 votes
He said: ‘To see this prize in front of me makes me really proud. It was a childhood dream for me and all the work I have done, I never gave up.
‘I always had in my mind that anything was possible, when I was not in the France team I never stopped working hard.
‘I am really proud of my journey here. It was not easy, it was a difficult time and also for my family as well.
‘To be standing here today for the first time, I am happy for my work and will keep going.’
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