Benzema 'can't do much more' to win Ballon d'Or after firing Real Madrid to two titles

French striker finished as La Liga and Champions League top scorer as Madrid lifted both trophies

Real Madrid celebrate after beating Liverpool to win the Champions League final at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday, May 29, 2022. Reuters

Real Madrid celebrate after beating Liverpool to win the Champions League final. Getty

Luka Modric kisses the trophy. Getty

Marcelo lifts the trophy for Real Madrid. Getty

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates after scoring the only goal of the Champions League final against Liverpool. AP

Real Madrid players celebrate after their victory in Paris. Getty

Dejected Liverpool player Fabinho after the match. AP

Real manager Carlo Ancelotti celebrates after the match. Getty

Dejected Mohamed Salah of Liverpool after the match. Getty

Real Madrid players celebrate after the match. Getty

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois celebrates winning the Champions League. Reuters

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saves from Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah in the second half. Getty

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior scores the opening goal. PA

Karim Benzema scores for Real Madrid late in the first half but the goal was ruled out by VAR for offside. PA

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah fires a shot past Real Madrid's Croatian midfielder Luka Modric. AFP

Liverpool midfielder Fabinho is shown a yellow card. AP

A first-half shot from Liverpool's Sadio Mane beats Real keeper Thibaut Courtois but hits the post. Getty

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates with teammates after scoring. PA

Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane sees his shot hit the post. Getty

Vinicius Junior scores for Real Madrid. EPA

Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois catches a cross. AP

Vinicius Junior celebrates after scoring for Real Madrid. Getty

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on the sidelines. EPA

Liverpool's Luis Diaz shoots at goal. Getty

Real attacker Karim Benzema scores but the goal was disallowed. Getty

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah sees a shot saved in the first half by Real goakeeper Thibaut Courtois. Getty

Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois makes a save from Mohamed Salah. Reuters

Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold goes to cross the ball. Getty

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti. AFP

Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois screams at his defence after Liverpool hit the post in the first half. PA

Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois under pressure from Liverpool's Jordan Henderson. EPA

Liverpool's Sadio Mane reacts to a challenge from Real midfielder Casemiro. EPA

Karim Benzema believes there is nothing more he can do to win the Ballon d'Or after the French striker capped a sensational club season by winning the Champions League title on Saturday night.

Benzema didn't score in the final at the Stade de France, as Vinicius Junior netted the only goal of the game for Real Madrid against Liverpool, but he still finished as the Champions League's top scorer with 15 including 10 in the knockout rounds.

In total, Benzema scored 44 goals for Real Madrid this season across 46 games in all competitions, including a La Liga-leading 27 as Madrid cantered to the title by a 13-point margin.

When asked if the Ballon d'Or was on his mind after a season that saw him play a vital role in two major trophies for Real, Benzema said: "Of course. Now I will join up with the national team but I don't think I can do much more with my club. We will see what happens, but in any case I am proud of what I have done."

Benzema scored hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in the Champions League knockout rounds and netted three times across the two legs of the semi-final against Manchester City. He will now join up with the France squad for a series of Uefa Nations League games in June.

"There is no luck," he said in reference to a series of remarkable comeback wins on their run to the final. "You can be lucky once but not every time. We deserve our victory. We put in the effort, we came back every time, we never gave up.

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"Every player is important in our squad, whether they are a starter or a substitute, or they don't play often but give everything in training."

Benzema, who has now won five Champions Leagues with Real, added that ending the season as the competition's top scorer was "exceptional ... but the most important thing is to win this fifth Champions League."

The winner of the Ballon d'Or will be revealed in a ceremony in Paris in October, before this year's World Cup in Qatar.

Andy Mitten's Champions League final reaction