Karim Benzema wins the Ballon d'Or 0:52
(CNN Spanish) --
Everyone took it for granted that Karim Benzema would win the Ballon d'Or, and he did.
Alexia Putellas justly repeated the award.
Thibaut Courtois was the best goalkeeper last season.
But what for many was a total surprise, even a manifest mistake, was the election of Manchester City as the best club of the year.
That award, which has been given since 2021 (Chelsea won last year), is one of the most recent awards from France Football
magazine's Ballon d'Or gala
.
Manchester City, whose men's team is coached by Pep Guardiola, beat Liverpool and Real Madrid this year.
Real Madrid's credentials over Manchester City
For many, the award to Manchester City was unexpected.
Last year it was won by the champion of the Champions League, Chelsea, but this season that ended, City was eliminated in that competition by Real Madrid, who ended up being champion.
The merengue team not only lifted that European title, but also the Spanish LaLiga, the Spanish Super Cup and the European Super Cup.
Four titles.
And two of its players, Benzema and Courtois, won the main individual prizes at Monday's award ceremony: the Ballon d'Or and the Yashin.
Manchester City only won the Premier League, and by just one point difference, but with an astonishing 99 goals scored.
In the FA Cup he lost the semi-final against Liverpool and in the League Cup he was eliminated by West Ham in the round of 16.
Liverpool, meanwhile, won both tournaments.
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It's the whole club, not just the men's team
The club of the year award recounts the exploits of clubs in both the men's and women's branches.
Manchester City had one nominee (Lucy Bronze) and five nominees (Kevin De Bruyne —third on the final list—, Joao Cancelo, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez) for the 2022 Ballon d'Or in their team.
Manchester City's women's team was third in the English super league, behind Chelsea and Arsenal.
In the League Cup, the women's team was champion.
Meanwhile, the women's team of Real Madrid was third in the First Pro Division of Spain.
Reactions and controversy
The most notorious reaction was from Real Madrid itself on its Twitter account.
After the announcement, the eye emojis in a laconic tweet gave rise to all kinds of interpretations.
👀
– Real Madrid CF (@realmadrid) October 17, 2022
Who was more direct was Toni Kroos, who wrote sarcastically on Twitter: "Third best team in 2021/22 - happy @realmadrid?".
There was also irony with emoji included in a tweet from Iker Casillas, former Madrid goalkeeper:
Congratulations to @realmadrid for that 3rd position… 😏
– Iker Casillas (@IkerCasillas) October 17, 2022
"Joke prizes", Casillas had previously published.
The Madrid press directly expressed their astonishment: "The surprise of the gala: Manchester City wins the award for best team of the year and Madrid finishes third!!", Marca headlines.
The newspaper As said that it was "the most controversial decision of the night".
Tomás Roncero, editor-in-chief of that medium, said that "those who have decided on this prize-farce have tarnished the cleanliness and ethics of this wonderful sport. Madrid has been attacked by an army called ENVY. They are pathetic."
For his part, Josep Pedrerol, the 'El Chiringuito' said that it is "a joke in bad taste" and the "biggest scandal in the history of the Ballon d'Or".
Benzema, who recently won the Ballon d'Or, said in an interview with 'El Larguero': “They can give the best club trophy to whoever they want, but the best in the world is Madrid”.
With information from Sebastian Jimenez
Manchester City Real Madrid