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Former Ballon d'Or winners Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo Nazario have shared their thoughts on Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema potentially winning the coveted trophy.
Zidane, who coached Benzema for four seasons, said that if the Frenchman wins the award, it will be very well deserved. He told reporters at the Ballon d'Or gala (via TheMadridZone):
“If Karim Benzema wins the Ballon d'Or, it's well deserved.”
Ronaldo Nazario, who is also a former Real Madrid player, had a similar opinion to that of Zidane and stated that Benzema deserves to win the award. He said (via TheMadridZone):
“I think Karim Benzema deserved the Ballon d'Or.”
Some of the biggest stars in world football have gathered inside the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris after making their way through the red carpet for the award ceremony. This list includes former winners like Zidane and Ronaldo.
Karim Benzema is a strong favorite to win the trophy after a stellar campaign with Real Madrid last season, in which he bagged 44 goals and 15 assists across all competitions. His goalscoring contributions were crucial for Los Blancos as they won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League last time around.
Karim Benzema can join an elite group of French players to have won the Ballon d'Or tonight
Benzema has the strongest claim for the award this year and has 1/33 odds as per Eurosport. He was awarded the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award in August, which was a much-needed recognition for the striker.
If he is voted as the winner of the award at the gala tonight, he will become the fifth player from France to be crowned as the Ballon d'Or winner. He will join French icons like Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, and Zinedine Zidane on that list. Zidane was the last Frenchman to win the award in 1998.
It has also been reported that with Benzema tipped to win the award, five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo is planning to attend the ceremony after a gap of five years. The Portuguese star last graced the ceremony in 2017 when he won his fifth and final trophy.
Ronaldo was included in the 30-man shortlist but finished in 20th place, which was his lowest ranking in 17 years.
If Benzema emerges as the winner tonight, he will become the eighth Real Madrid player to be crowned the award winner and it will be the 12th time the trophy will go to the club.
