Benzema reveals which club he will retire at & explains how Ronaldo helped inspire Ballon d’Or win

• French forward has landed a Golden Ball
• Intends to remain at Santiago Bernabeu
• Learned a lot from Portuguese icon

WHAT HAPPENED? The 34-year-old France international has become the oldest recipient of a prestigious Golden Ball since Sir Stanley Matthews in 1956 after hitting 44 goals for the current holders of La Liga and Champions League titles in 2021-22. He is showing no sign of slowing down and, having previously seen a return to his roots at Lyon speculated on before a day comes to hang up his boots, has stated a desire to spend the rest of his career at Santiago Bernabeu.

WHAT THEY SAID: Quizzed on his future plans after landing the Ballon d’Or at a glitzy ceremony in Paris, Benzema told Onda Cero: "I'm going to retire at Real Madrid, there's no other option."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Benzema’s current contract is set to expire in the summer of 2023, but fresh terms are being mooted. That is because he remains a talismanic figure for Real, with captaincy duties taken on having previously been charged with the task of filling Cristiano Ronaldo’s boots. He said of raising his game once the legendary Portuguese forward left Spanish football in 2018: "It was an honour to play with him, he's a beast. The day he left, the ambition to be more entered my head."

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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DID YOU KNOW? Benzema was the top scorer in La Liga 21/22 (27) and in the Champions League 21/22 (15), scoring 44 goals in the whole season. He is the third Real Madrid player to reach this tally in a single campaign after Puskas (2) and Ronaldo (7).

WHAT NEXT FOR BENZEMA? Injury issues have been endured this season, but Benzema was back among the goals in a Clasico victory over Barcelona last time out and is now up to five efforts in a campaign that will also see him chasing down World Cup glory with France in Qatar.