"Close the votes" - Thierry Henry makes strong statement about Real Madrid star Karim Benzema's Ballon d'Or chances after winning the Champions League final against Liverpool

Former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry has claimed that Karim Benzema has already won the Ballon d'Or after guiding Real Madrid to a Champions League triumph over Liverpool.

Real Madrid secured their record-extending 14th European Cup following a 1-0 victory over the Premier League giants at Paris' Stade de France on Saturday. A second-half goal from Vinicius Junior was enough for Los Blancos to beat Liverpool in the Champions League for the second time in five years.

Henry feels like there is no point in casting votes for the Ballon d'Or and should instead just be awarded to Karim Benzema. Speaking on CBS Sports, the former French forward was quoted as saying the following:

"I just wanted to say something to France or whoever is voting [on the Ballon d'Or]. Close the votes, Benzema won it. Bye."

Karim Benzema himself did not have the best of the night against the Reds in Paris. The 34-year-old forward scored a goal in the first-half. However, VAR ruled the goal out for offside following a lengthy check by the officials.

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Real Madrid and Liverpool players are amongst the favorites for the the 2022 Ballon d'Or

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema was one of the favorites for the 2022 Ballon d'Or along with Liverpool attackers Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. The duo have guided the Reds to a Carabao Cup and FA Cup double this season under Jurgen Klopp.

Mane has also attained international success this year after guiding Senegal to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Mohamed Salah, meanwhile, ended the season as the Premier League's leading assist provider (13) and the joint-highest goalscorer (23 goals). The Egyptian winger was also the Reds' highest goalscorer this season with 31 goals from 51 appearances across all competitions.

However, winning the Champions League might have shifted the pendulum in Benzema's favor for the "Golden Ball." The 34-year-old forward has had a prolific season in front of goal, netting 44 goals in 46 appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions.

Karim Benzema also ended the Champions League campaign as the tournament's leading goalscorer with 15 goals from 12 games. It is also worth mentioning that the Frenchman has also lifted the La Liga title with Real Madrid this season.

Other candidates for the 2022 Ballon d'Or include Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski and Paris Saint-Germain talisman Kylian Mbappe.