Former Chelsea star, Joe Cole, has backed Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema to win this year’s Ballon d’Or.
Cole said Benzema is an outstanding footballer who is getting better with age.
He said this after the France international led Real Madrid to beat Chelsea 3-1 in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie.
Benzema, 34, scored a hat-trick as Carlo Ancelotti’s men defeated Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Recall that Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi won the 2021 Ballon d’Or ahead of Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, Chelsea’s Jorginho, Benzema and Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante.
And Cole believes Benzema will win the Ballon d’Or this year.
Speaking about Benzema on BT Sport, Cole said: “He is getting better with age. As things stand right now in the race for the Ballon d’Or, he has won it by a few furlongs.
“It is unbelievable that in this stage of his career, he has gone: ‘I am in charge of the orchestra now, everything goes through me’. He is an outstanding footballer.”