UCL: Benzema hat-trick puts Chelsea on brink of exit as Villarreal beat Bayern
Karim Benzema, the French striker, has been named the best player of the just concluded 2021/22 UEFA Champions League (UCL) season.
The 34-year-old was announced as the winner of the coveted gong in a statement on Tuesday.
Benzema was inspirational for Real Madrid throughout the course of the competition as they conjured a consistent train of magical comebacks en route to winning their 14th UCL title.
He finished as the highest goalscorer of the competition with 15 goals — with 10 of them coming in the knockout stages against giants like Paris St Germain FC, Chelsea, and Manchester City.
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“UEFA’s Technical Observer panel have named Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema as the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League Player of the Season,” the statement read.
“The French striker was a talismanic figure for Madrid as he drove them on to a record 14th European title, and his fifth since he joined from Lyon in 2009. Not only did Benzema hit double figures for Champions League goals in a single season for the first time in his career, but his final tally of 15 also earned him the top spot in the competition scoring charts.”
Vinicius Junior, the Brazilian winger, was also adjudged the best young player of the season following his immense contribution to Madrid’s conquest.
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The 21-year-old had a breakout season where he, alongside Benzema, formed a formidable duo that created chances lavishly and scored with the same frequency.
His 59th-minute tap-in in Paris proved vital as Madrid piped an overwhelming Liverpool side to the big-eared trophy.
Vinicius scored four goals and registered six assists in a UCL season that underlined his potential as one of the most exciting wingers in the world.
Alongside Benzema, he also made the season’s team, which included teammates like Luka Modric and Thibaut Courtois.
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Liverpool stars like Fabinho, Andy Robertson, Virgil Van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold also made the list alongside Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger and Kevin De Bruyne of Man City.
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe completed the tournament’s best eleven players.
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