Henry: “It’s over, give Benzema the Ballon d’Or!”

After

won the Champions League with

on Saturday,

Thierry Henry

said that the race for the Ballon d'Or was over.

After a 1-0 win over Liverpool at the

Stade de France

, Benzema became the second French captain to win the trophy. The first was Didier Deschamps, who did it with Marseille in 1993.

Thibaut Courtois was a big reason why

Carlo Ancelotti

's team won. He made nine saves, which is a record for a Champions League final since Opta started keeping track in 2003-04.

scored the game-winning goal in Paris, but it was Benzema's work in the knockout rounds that helped Madrid win its 14th European Cup, which is twice as many as the next-best team, Milan, which has seven.

The 34-year-old scored a hat-trick against Paris Saint-Germain, four goals over two legs with Chelsea, and three in the tie with Manchester City, including a penalty kick that won the semi-final.

This season, Benzema has been a part of 59 goals (45 goals and 15 assists) in all competitions. Only France teammate Kylian Mbappe (60) has been a part of more goals in Europe's top five leagues than Benzema. And Henry, who played for Arsenal, thinks Benzema's success in Paris has settled the question of who should win the Ballon d'Or this year.

"I just wanted to say something to whoever is voting for France Football. Stop voting, Benzema has won. Bye, "Henry told CBS Sports what he thought after the game. Didier Deschamps, France's coach, hopes Benzema can lead Les Bleus to more World Cup glory in November. He agrees with Henry that Madrid's star player should win the award.

"Yes, is the simple answer. With this new title and the successful sports season he had with his team, he was so decisive " Deschamps told Telefoot. "It's clear that he was already a favorite, and he deserves this prize."

Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi have won the Ballon d'Or in 13 of the last 14 years. In 2018, Benzema's teammate Luka Modric was named the winner. Even though Benzema may think that his and his team's accomplishments are enough to beat Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah of Liverpool, the Madrid forward said he will be happy no matter what.

Benzema told Canal Plus, "Of course, I'm done with my season. Now I'll join the national team. I don't think I can do better at the club level. We'll see how things go, but no matter what, I'm proud of what I've done."

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