Sergio Aguero picks his 2022 Ballon d’Or winner

The former Manchester City and Barcelona striker is the latest big name to back Karim Benzema for the Ballon d’Or.

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema should be in contention to win the 2022 Ballon d’Or, according to Sergio Aguero.

The Frenchman continued his remarkable season on Tuesday. He scored a brace in Real Madrid’s 4-3 first-leg defeat to Manchester City in their Champions League semi-final tie. This took his tally for the season up to 41 goals in as many games in all competitions.

Benzema has also surpassed Robert Lewandowski as the Champions League’s top scorer with 14 goals in just 10 games.

‘Messi & Ronaldo had those numbers’

These figures have led Aguero to compare Benzema to his former Argentina teammate Lionel Messi and Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Benzema should be there. Messi and Cristiano [Ronaldo] had those numbers in the Champions League,” he told ESPN Argentina about the race for football’s most prestigious individual honor.

Between them, Messi and Ronaldo have claimed 12 Ballon d’Or awards. The pair have won every Ballon d’Or except one since 2008.

Benzema’s former Real Madrid teammate Mesut Ozil and ex-Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand have also backed the striker to win this year’s Ballon d’Or.

The France international returns to action on Saturday for a La Liga match between Real Madrid and Espanyol.