Real Madrid and Belgium player Eden Hazard have revealed that he wants his teammate at Real Madrid Karim Benzema to win the 2022 Ballon d’Or award.
Although the nominees for the most prestigious individual award won’t be announced until October, with the winner scheduled to be revealed in November this year, many players, managers, supporters, and pundits are already predicting who they think deserves the award. Currently, Karim Benzema is the favorite to win the award as almost everyone is rooting for him.
This is coming after the French international had an amazing season as he helped Real Madrid secure the Spanish La Liga and UEFA Champions League titles last season. The prolific striker finished both competitions as the highest goal scorer, and also played an important role in carrying Real Madrid through the UEFA Champions League knockout stages.
Benzema was heavily involved in helping his team win against PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City, and finished the season on 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 appearances.
Speaking during an interview with ESPN, Eden Hazard was asked who he thinks should win the next Ballon d’Or award.
“I think he deserves it. You know, there’s no doubt about it”, he said. “But I think he deserves it not just for that season, but for his whole career, you know? It’s like he’s been at the top for 15 years.”
🎙| Eden Hazard: “Benzema deserves the Ballon d’Or. You know, there’s no doubt about it. We all want him to win.” @ESPN
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) July 24, 2022
He added that he believes that Karim Benzema deserves to win it now, even though people think that it’s because he’s just scoring goals. Eden Hazard is the latest top player to support Karim Benzema after Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Mesut Ozil also did the same.
Meanwhile, Hazard has promised Real Madrid fans that he would improve on his performance next season.
The Belgian star player has failed to leave up to expectations after he joined Real Madrid from Chelsea in 2020. Eden Hazard was seen as the best replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo after he left Real Madrid for Juventus. However, the former Chelsea man has been poor on the pitch and seems to have gained more weight. But he has promised to get back in form and do what he has been paid for.
Hazard is also one of the highest-paid players in the Real Madrid squad but he’s certainly not delivering the quality required of him.
The Spanish La Liga champions will be looking to defend both the La Liga and UEFA Champions League title next season but are slow in the summer transfer window. Real Madrid have made just a few signings this summer while their arch rivals Barcelona are very busy in the transfer window even with an unbalanced account.
