Former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has revealed his favorite candidate to win the Ballon d’Or this year.
Zidane said in an interview with the French channel “Telefoot”, that it has been a long time since he won the Golden Ball award in 1998, as no French player has won the award since that time.
"Benzema mérite de gagner ce Ballon d'Or. C'est un joueur incroyable, j'ai eu le grand honneur de l'entraîner. Il sait tout faire sur le terrain. Il est au-dessus, et j'espère qu'il pourra être récompensé de ce Ballon d'Or"
Les louanges de Zidane pour @Benzema 😍 (@BarniaudSeb) pic.twitter.com/jN3UVqPQPL
— Téléfoot (@telefoot_TF1) October 17, 2021
In response to a question, can Karim Benzema, a Real Madrid player, be his successor? Zidane replied, “He really deserves to win this award.”
“Benzema is an incredible player, and it is a great honor for me because I coached him.”
“Benzema can do everything on the pitch. He is at the top, and I hope he gets the Ballon d’Or this year.”
France Football magazine had published the tentative list of nominees to win the Ballon d’Or in 2021, which saw the presence of the French Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe, in addition to other stars such as the Egyptian Mohamed Salah, the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and the Argentine Lionel Messi.
The French magazine is scheduled to reveal the winner of the Ballon d’Or, on November 29, along with the award for the best in the women’s football category, and the best goalkeeper in the world.