Heartwarming Moment As Throwback Photo of Benzema Applauding Ronaldo for Winning 2014 Ballon d’Or Spotted

• From applauding Cristiano Ronaldo for winning the 2014 Ballon d'Or prize to winning one himself, Karim Benzema's journey to the summit of world football has been inspiring
• Benzema scooped the coveted prize while Bayern Munich's Sadio Mane finished in second place, with the second runner-up spot going to Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City
• The 35-year-old France international is also the oldest Ballon D'Or winner since Stanley Matthews, who won the first edition of the prize in 1956

Karim Benzema picked up the prestigious Ballon d'Or award for the first time in his career, after playing a pivotal role in Real Madrid winning La Liga and the Champions League last season.

Benzema was crowned the 2022 winner at a colourful ceremony, held at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday, October 17.

He wore a black tuxedo over a banded collar shirt, a striking semblance to the outfit worn by Tupac Shakur at the 1996 American Music Awards.

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As Benzema continues to bask in the glory of winning the Golden Ball, a heartwarming photo of the 35-year-old Frenchman celebrating Cristiano Ronaldo has resurfaced online.

In the photo posted on Twitter, seen by Sports Brief, Benzema was spotted in the background as Ronaldo flaunted his 2014 Ballon d'Or prize to the packed Santiago Bernabeu Stadium ahead of their match.

Despite not receiving any prize by then, the former Olympique Lyonnais star was seen applauding his teammates, particularly Ronaldo for his feat eight years ago.

Fast forward to 2022 as Benzema, who was named the UEFA player of the year in August, achieved a lifelong dream of winning the Ballon d'Or.

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Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe has congratulated his compatriot Karim Benzema on winning the Ballon d'Or for the first time.

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Benzema became the fifth French player to clinch the coveted individual award, edging out competition from Robert Lewandowski, Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne.

The 34-year-old enjoyed a stunning 2021-22 campaign, scoring 44 goals in 46 games across all competitions as he helped Real Madrid win the Champions League and La Liga.