By Adeleye Kunle
Real Madrid captain, Karim Benzema won this year’s Ballon d’Or award by a 356-vote margin, it has emerged.
Benzema finished in first place ahead of Sadio Mane.
It is the second biggest win in the history of the award, only topped by Cristiano Ronaldo’s win by 429 votes in 2016.
Benzema recorded 549 votes after he hit 44 goals across all competitions for Real Madrid last season, as they won both LaLiga and the Champions League.
Kevin De Bruyne finished in third place, 18 votes off Mane after his role in Manchester City’s title win.
Robert Lewandowski missed out on the podium by just five votes and Mo Salah came fifth.
BALLON D’OR TOP 10
Karim Benzema- 549 votes
Sadio Mane- 193 votes
Kevin De Bruyne- 175 votes
Robert Lewandowski: 170 votes
Mo Salah: 116 votes
Kylian Mbappe: 85 votes
Thibaut Courtois: 82 votes
Vinicius Junior: 61 votes
Luka Modric: 20 votes
Erling Haaland: 18 votes
