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Benzema and Ancelotti win in UEFA’s male awards

Phenomenal
Phenomenal
Karim Benzema and Carlo Ancelotti

Mueez Ajao

– Karim Benzema has been named UEFA Men’s Player of the Year — solidifying his status as favourite to win the Ballon d’Or — after scoring a personal best 15 goals as Real Madrid won the 2021-22 Champions League.

Karim Benzema

– Benzema, 34, helped fire Madrid to a LaLiga and Champions League Double last season and was the key man in their string of dramatic European comebacks, including scoring hat tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

– The award was handed out at a ceremony in Istanbul on Thursday — coinciding with the Champions League group-stage draw for 2022-23 — where Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was also named UEFA Men’s Coach of the Year.

Also Read: Benzema stars as Madrid win 2022 UEFA Super Cup

– Ancelotti was picked ahead of City’s Pep Guardiola and Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp.

Carlo Ancelotti

– When asked how he had become the most successful coach in the competition, Ancelotti said: “The passion I have for the sport and the quality of the players.

– “Last season there was a fantastic connection between the veterans and young ones, there was fantastic chemistry with the supporters that helped us reach an unbelievable achievement.”

– On Benzema, Ancelotti said: “Karim is not just a fantastic striker and top scorer, he’s a fantastic footballer, supported by great attitude day by day.

– “Compared to last year, this year he improved his knowledge, he knows the game really well, how to manage the game and he’s a strong leader in the dressing room and a good friend of mine. We are lucky to have Karim.”

– Benzema beat teammate Thibaut Courtois and Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne to the Men’s Player of the Year prize, which is voted on by a jury of club representatives and journalists from a 15-player shortlist chosen by UEFA’s technical study group.

– Benzema follows Jorginho, who took the 2021 award after winning the Champions League with Chelsea and Euro 2020 with Italy.

– Despite a glittering career, winning five Champions Leagues and four LaLiga titles in 13 years at Real Madrid, the France forward has won relatively few individual accolades.

– He finished fourth in the voting for the 2021 Ballon d’Or behind Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho, but is the favourite to take the 2022 prize when it is handed out by France Football in October.

– Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas won the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award on Thursday, beating England’s Beth Mead and Germany’s Lena Oberdorf to the top prize, while England head coach Sarina Wiegman was crowned coach of the year.

Alexia Putellas

– Putellas, who won award last year along with the Ballon d’Or Feminin, netted 34 goals for Barcelona last season as the club won all the domestic trophies and reached the Champions League final.

– However, the 28-year-old did not play at the Women’s Euro 2022 after tearing her knee ligaments in training and faced stiff competition in Mead, who won player of the tournament as well as finishing top scorer with six goals.

– Meanwhile, Mead’s international boss Wiegman picked up another award on Thursday as she won coach of the year for her role in guiding England to their first major title in 56 years.

– “It’s really nice to receive this great award, I’m very honoured and humbled,” she said.

– “This award is really for everyone involved with the England team, the FA, the staff and of course, most of all, the players. Thank you very much.”

– The Football Association is planning to hold contract talks with Wiegman, who has been in the role since September 2021, over a contract extension as England hope to extend their success at next summer’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

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