Cristiano Ronaldo Set to Grace Ballon D'or Ceremony for The First Time Since 2017

• Cristiano Ronaldo is set to attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony for the first time since 2017
• Despite extremely low chances of the 37-year old winning the award, he will be in attendance to support a friend
• Frenchman Karim Benzema is the current favorite to clinch the coveted individual accolade in 2022

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to grace the annual Ballon d’Or gala for the first time since 2017, which was the year he last won the award.

The Portuguese superstar will not be attending for himself however, as Le Parisien reports suggest he will try to make the awards for his former teammate Karim Benzema.

Benzema is a heavy favourite to win the award this year after a stellar 2021/22 campaign with Real Madrid.

Benzema scored an impressive 44 goals in 46 games for Los Blancos last season, helping his side win the La Liga and Champions League. He has not hit these heights in 2022/23, but that will little affect his chances of clinching a maiden Ballon d’Or.

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Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009 and played alongside Benzema for nine years, before eventually leaving for Juventus in 2018.

The pair have fond memories together at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where they historically won three Champions League titles in a row.

Ronaldo previously snubbed 2018, 2019 and 2021 editions of the ceremony since it was clear he would not be winning - despite being among the nominees each time.

In this year’s edition, Ronaldo was also nominated but his arch-rival Lionel Messi, the current Ballon d’Or holder, was sensationally snubbed due to the tame debut season he had at Paris Saint-Germain.

Back in June, Benzema did an interview with Onze Mondial where he hailed Ronaldo for helping him prolong his career, saying:

"I dissected everything about Ronaldo. That’s why I can say: it’s impossible to achieve the same."

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Alaba tips Benzema for award

Sports Brief earlier reported that Real Madrid defender David Alaba has backed his teammate Karim Benzema to claim the 2022 Ballon d'Or, ahead of Robert Lewandowski.

As reported by Football Espana, Alaba felt Benz clinching the top individual honour was not even a question.

Alaba is among a growing list of football players and administrators who believe Benzema is a shoe-in for the coveted prize.