Real Madrid star Karim Benzema has boosted his FIFA Ballond'or bid after winning the UEFA Champions League (UCL) title with his team. The Frenchman led the attack as Real Madrid beat Liverpool in the final in Paris to win the competition for the 14th time.
With the UCL win in Paris, Benzema is now the overwhelming favourite to win the FIFA Ballond'or. The ex-Lyon striker was unable to score against Liverpool during the final which ended in a 1-0 win for Real Madrid. However, ending on the winning side has made him the favourite to win the award at the end of the year.
The Liverpool duo of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah were seen as the main challengers to Benzema in the race to win the FIFA Ballond'orthis year ahead of the Champions League final only for the two African stars to end on the wrong side of the game. Brazil international Vinicius Junior scored the only goal of the final just before the hour mark off the assist from Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde. Belgian shot stopper Thibaut Courtois made several saves in the Real Madrid goal to thwart Salah, Mane and the Liverpool players thus leading his team to Champions League glory in the process.
After their Champions League final win over the team from Merseyside, Real Madrid have now won twice as much as the next team on the list of winners with the most win. Real Madrid have 14 titles, while newly crowned Italian champions AC Milan are next on the list with seven titles.
Real Madrid are up there with the teams who faced the most difficult ties on the way to winning the Champions League title after they saw off defending champions Chelsea over two legs in the quarterfinals before beating Premier League champions Manchester City in the semifinals. Also, they were responsible for the exit of a star-studded Paris Saint Germain (PSG) team in the last 16 stage.
