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Former Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil believes Karim Benzema should win the 2022 Ballon d'Or following a pulsating UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg clash between Los Blancos and Manchester City.
The French striker has been scoring goals for fun this season, and it was no different against Manchester City.
With City having come out of the blocks and taken an early two-goal lead through Kevin de Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus, the pressure was on Madrid to get back into the contest.
The inevitability of Benzema once again reared its head as the Frenchman pounced on a Ferland Mendy cross to bring the tie to 2-1.
But it was his second goal that really took the cake as the 33-year-old scored an audacious penalty in the 82nd minute.
The Cityzens were leading 4-2 before Aymeric Laporte was adjudged to have handballed in the City box in the 80th minute.
Who else but the Frenchman to step up and take the crucial spotkick despite having missed two penalties against Osasuna last week.
The veteran forward definitely wasn't feeling the pressure as he sent a delightful panenka past Ederson to bring Los Blancos back into the tie.
It ended 4-3 on the night and once again Benzema was hugely instrumental for Madrid.
So much so that his former teammate Mesut Ozil commented on his performance, heralding the French star as the next Ballon d'Or winner:
"What a fantastic game. Give my boy Benzi the Ballon D'or."
Karim Benzema is having the best season of his career
The Frenchman has been in the best goalscoring form of his career this season for Real Madrid.
He now has a remarkable record of 41 goals in 41 appearances across all competitions.
Benzema now has 14 goals in 10 Champions League appearances, putting him on top of the goalscoring charts.
If there ever was evidence required to show why Benzema deserves the Ballon d'Or, you need look no further than his extraordinary Champions League exploits.
The former Lyon striker had scored two hat-tricks in Madrid's prior two Champions League ties.
In the Round of 16, the Frenchman scored a monumental second-half hat-trick against Paris Saint-Germain to steal the headlines from compatriot Kylian Mbappe.
And in the quarter-final, he once again struck a hat-trick against Champions League holders Chelsea.
If Benzema can continue this form and help Real Madrid win their 14th Champions League this season, the veteran forward could well end up with the Ballon d'Or.
