Ballon d’Or Winner Karim Benzema Takes Sly Jibe at Kylian Mbappe Over Real Madrid Snub

Ballon d’Or Winner Karim Benzema Takes Sly Jibe at Kylian Mbappe Over Real Madrid Snub

Isaac Darko
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:14 PM
In this article:
French Ligue 1 logo
FRA Ligue 1
France
Karim Benzema logo
K.Benzema
Al-Ittihad Club logoFFrance logo
Kylian Mbappé logo
K.Mbappé
Paris Saint Germain (PSG) logoFFrance logo
Spanish La Liga logo
SPA La Liga
Spain
  • Karim Benzema has taken a sly jibe at his compatriot Kylian Mbappe after he won the 2022 Ballon d'Or
  • The Real Madrid star became the first French player to win the biggest individual football award since Zinedine Zidane in 1998
  • Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe placed in sixth in the 2022 edition of the Ballon d'Or behind some other notable names

Real Madrid captain Karim Benzema couldn't help but have a pop at Kylian Mbappe, after winning the 2022 edition of the Ballon d'Or.

Benzema unsurprisingly scooped the coveted prize, following an impressive 2021-22 season with Los Blancos.

The 34-year-old etched his name into history as the first Frenchman to win the individual prize since Zinedine Zidane in 1998.

Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe, Ballon d'Or, pop, countryman, French, football, jibe
Karim Benzema has taken a sly jibe at Kylian Mbappe after winning the 2022 Ballon d'Or. Photo by Aurelien Meunier. Credit: @SamDunyo
Source: Getty Images

After winning the award, Benzema appeared to take the mickey out of his France teammate Mbappe.

Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy!

The Paris Saint-German star was reported to be on the move to Real Madrid but eventually had a change of heart, committing his future to the Parc des Princes outfit.

A move to Spain would have seen Mbappe form a fearsome attack alongside Benzema, who had an incredible 2021/22 campaign. However, the ex-AS Monaco striker shocked the world of football by signing a new 3-year contract with the Ligue 1 champions.

Speaking in an interview with Spanish outlet El Larguero, cited by Madrid XTRA, Benzema appeared to fire a cheeky jibe at Mbappe's career after winning the Ballon d'Or.

"Mbappé congratulated me before the ceremony. We didn't talk about Real Madrid. What he does with his career is his story," Benzema said.

Mbappe congratulates Benzema on award

Meanwhile, Mbappe has congratulated Benzema on winning the Ballon d'Or for the first time.

Benzema became the fifth Frenchman player to clinch the coveted individual award after edging ahead of Robert Lewandowski, Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne.

Mbappe, who came 6th in the race for the Ballon d'Or, shared a message on his Instagram story saying: "Congratulations, bro. Well-deserved."

The final Ballon d'Or rankings

Sports Brief earlier reported that Karim Benzema shared the moment of his Ballon d'Or crowning with his mother and son.

In a video posted on Twitter, seen by Sports Brief, the Real Madrid talisman invited his mother and son to the stage after the announcement by French legend Zinedine Zidane.

Authors
Isaac Darko photo
Isaac Darko
Isaac Darko is a La Liga, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga editor at Sports Brief with a Degree in Journalism and Communications from Ghana Institute of Journalism (2010)
Tags
World