Real Madrid and Barcelona Stars Including Karim Benzema Predicted to Win Big in 66th Ballon d’Or Awards

• Karim Benzema has been tipped to win the 2022 Ballon d’Or for the first time in his career following a brilliant 2021/22 campaign
• Benzema leads the list of top Real Madrid and Barcelona stars expected to win awards in the Ballon d’Or ceremony, such as the Kopa trophy and Yashin trophy
• The 66th Ballon d’Or awards are due to take place in Paris on October 17, in a changed format from previous years, as confirmed by France Football

Real Madrid and Barcelona players have been widely tipped to dominate the 66th edition of the Ballon d’Or awards scheduled to take place on October 17.

Awards such as the Ballon d’Or given to the best player in Europe, Kopa Trophy for the best Under-21 player, and Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper all have La Liga contenders for the awards.

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According to Football Espana, Karim Benzema is the favorite to win his first Ballon d'Or after scoring 44 goals in 46 games to lead Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double in 2022.

Barcelona midfielder, Gavi has been tipped to defeat Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala to win the best Under-21 player award, following in the footsteps of teammate Pedri.

Real Madrid goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois is also expected to win the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper following his exploits with Real Madrid last season.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or return

Meanwhile, Manchester United forward, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to attend the 66th Ballon d’Or ceremony set to take place in Paris on Monday, October 17, Daily Mirror reports.

The 37-year-old, who is a 5-time winner of the prestigious individual award, has not attended the ceremony since he last won it in 2017.

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Ronaldo was among the 30-man shortlist for the 2022 awards but failed to make the cut for the top three with former teammate Karim Benzema expected to win the gong.

Benzema expected to win Ballon d'Or

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Karim Benzema is the overwhelming favourite to win the men's Ballon d'Or at a ceremony in Paris on Monday.

Benzema will thereby become the first Frenchman to claim the most prestigious individual prize in football since Zinedine Zidane almost a quarter of a century ago.

There are 30 nominees, but the Real Madrid striker is the outstanding candidate after his remarkable performances last season helped his club win the Champions League and La Liga.