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Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. has revealed his strike partner Karim Benzema to be his preferred choice to win the 2022 Ballon d'Or.
The Brazil international made the revelation on Twitter when he responded to Benzema's tweet praising the fantastic support the team received against Manchester City.
Vinicius replied 'Karim balón de oro.' It certainly echoes the sentiment shared by many who believe the former Lyon man deserves to be named the best player in the world.
Benzema ensured Real Madrid's progress to a 17th UEFA Champions League final in their second leg Champions League semi-final clash against City. He won and converted a penalty in the fifth minute of extra-time to win the game 3-1 on May 4 and 6-5 on aggregate.
Los Blancos were in danger of being eliminated from the competition by Manchester City. However, for the third consecutive knockout tie, the Spanish champions produced a spectacular comeback to extend their stay in the competition.
Benzema played a deciding role in all three ties. He consecutive hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea before scoring three goals across both legs against City.
The case for Karim Benzema as a leading contender for the 2022 Ballon d'Or
Karim Benzema has been Real Madrid's talisman since Cristiano Ronaldo departed in 2018 for Juventus. However, the 34-year-old has reached stratospheric standards this season.
He has already scored 43 goals and made 14 assists in 43 games across competitions this season.
His most telling contribution, however, came in the UEFA Champions League. He has scored 15 goals and provided two assists in 11 matches and leads the goalscoring charts this season.
For context, only Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski have ever scored 15 goals in a single UEFA Champions League campaign throughout history. The former has done so on three different occasions, with his 17 strikes in 2014 the current benchmark.
Benzema has not been a flat-track bully either, with 10 of his 15 goals coming in the knockout rounds, equalling another Ronaldo record. Real Madrid knocking out PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City en-route to the final makes it even more impressive, with the three sides among the best in Europe.
Other top contenders for the Ballon d'Or include Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappe.
Whichever way the pendulum swings in the UEFA Champions League final could be pivotal in determining who gets crowned as the best player in the world.
