“I Don’t Play Well, I Score and I’m Seen As the Best”: Benzema Laments About Ballon d’Or Criteria

• Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema is not happy with the current format for determining the best players
• He is the current holder of the UEFA Men's Best Player and the Ballon d'Or prize
• The 35-year-old Frenchman would face stiff competition from Mbappe, Messi and Haaland as he seeks to defend his accolade

Karim Benzema has expressed his disappointment regarding the recent subjective criteria employed in selecting the season's best player.

The Real Madrid captain expressed his discontent with the current structure of the Ballon d'Or and similar honours, which seemingly tilts in favour of forwards.

Benzema, who claimed the highly coveted individual accolade following an outstanding season last year, suggested that the current format of award schemes primarily emphasizes the goalscorer's performance over any other contributions made on the field.

"We don't bother to look at what a player is doing on the pitch, only who scored. The next day we consider him the best. It’s happened to me before, I don’t play well, I score and I’m seen as the best. I don't really like this type of football," the Frenchman said as quoted by Football Tweet.

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Meanwhile, Benzema's hopes of retaining his Ballon d'Or title seem bleak, as his teammate Vinicius Junior, PSG pair Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, along with Erling Haaland, have all surpassed the 35-year-old in the rankings. This is primarily attributed to Benzema's underwhelming season, largely marred by persistent injuries.

Nonetheless, he has managed to rack up 29 goals in 41 games across all competitions, with a Copa del Rey trophy to boot, per Transfermarkt.

Benzema tipped for Ballon d'Or prize

Lionel Messi may have won the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but Luis Figo does not believe the Argentine superstar has been the best player of the 2022/23 season.

The former Portugal captain believes the superstar has actually had a poor season considering his struggles in the UEFA Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain.

Figo has tipped Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema for the 2023 Ballon d’Or ahead of Messi.

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Biggest ‘robberies’ in Ballon d’Or

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Wesley Sneijder's 2010 Ballon d'Or snub sparked a lot of controversies, as the playmaker was involved in every trophy his side won.

The Inter Milan star did not make it even in the top three, despite winning a treble and the Bronze Boot at the World Cup.

Franck Ribery had a similar case against Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013 after winning the treble with Bayern Munich.