Karim Benzema has declared his determination to win the Ballon d Or after taking centre stage at Real Madrid since Cristiano Ronaldo s departure.
The France striker has been Madrid s attacking spearhead and has taken over the captaincy following the exit of Sergio Ramos, reflecting his standing with the Spanish giants.
With three LaLiga titles and four Champions League wins in 12 years, Benzema has accrued plenty of silverware while with Los Blancos.
Now, individual acclaim is regularly coming his way, with Benzema stepping out of Ronaldo s long shadow and becoming the talisman.
He has topped the 20-goal mark in LaLiga in the last three seasons and has nine strikes in eight games so far this term in the Spanish top flight, with Madrid top of the table.<…