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.

Champions League final player ratings

LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 6. The Brazilian had little to do but got into a muddle for the disallowed goal. Some of his expeditions out of his area verged on erratic. AFP

Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6. The 23-year-old had a few good moments but was not as influential as usual. If he had checked over his shoulder, it might have been possible to stop the winning goal. Getty

Ibrahima Konate - 8. This was the Frenchman’s best performance in a red shirt. He was strong in the tackle and quick to snuff out danger. His one questionable moment was before the disallowed goal and he was saved by VAR. AP

Virgil van Dijk - 7. The Dutchman was powerful and composed and tried to spark attacks when on the ball. He was rarely in trouble but got dragged a little wide before the goal. AP

Andrew Robertson - 6. The Scot tried to get forward but his crossing was erratic. His link-up play on the left with Diaz did not work as well as usual. AP

Jordan Henderson - 7. The captain worked effectively in midfield and tried to move the ball quickly when in possession. He was withdrawn for Keita in the 77th minute as Liverpool chased a goal. EPA

Fabinho - 6. The Brazilian stamped his authority on the midfield early on and ensured his team were on top for most of the game. He did not contribute much going forward. AFP

Thiago Alcantara - 6. The 31-year-old was an injury worry before the game and did not look quite right even though his passing was neat. He was replaced by Firmino with 13 minutes to go. Reuters

Mohamed Salah - 7. The Egyptian was marginalised in the first half but threatened after the break. Some of his shots lacked precision but he was unlucky to be foiled by the brilliance of Courtois. Getty

Sadio Mane - 7. The Senegalese hit the post and caused Real some alarm. He was the victim of some rugged defending. EPA

Luis Diaz - 5. The Colombian had an off night and lost his contest with Carvajal. Jota came on for him in the 65th minute. Getty

SUBS: Diogo Jota (Diaz 65') - 6. The Portuguese was an upgrade on Diaz but was unable to beat Courtois. He was swamped by a blanket defence. Getty

Naby Keita (Henderson 77') - 5. He showed for the ball but never looked like turning the match Liverpool’s way. AP

Roberto Firmino (Thiago 77') - 6. The Brazilian produced some clever touches but they were not enough to change the course of the game. Getty

REAL MADRID RATINGS: Thibaut Courtois - 10. One of the great Champions League final performances, the Belgian produced save after save, including six from Salah alone, to guide Real Madrid to victory. Getty

Dani Carvajal - 8. Had the unenviable task of marking Diaz but stood firm, won his battle with the Colombian, and played a key role in Madrid's clean sheet. AP

Eder Militao - 8. Won 100 per cent of his aerial duels and both attempted tackles while also making three successful interceptions, the Brazilian was a rock amid relentless Liverpool attacks. AP

David Alaba - 8. The Austrian was superb alongside Militao, winning four out of five ground duels, making four successful tackles, three interceptions, and three blocked shots. What an incredible free transfer Alaba has turned out to be. Reuters

Ferland Mendy - 8. Had his hands full defensively against Salah but the Frenchman was excellent on the ball, achieving a 97 per cent passing accuracy and won 100 per cent of his one-on-one duels. AP

Luka Modric - 7. Played a key role in the build-up to the goal and celebrated the Champions League triumph by announcing he had signed a new contract. A fifth European Cup for the ageless Croatian. Reuters

Casemiro - 9. Superb from the Brazilian who delivered a vintage defensive midfield display, winning 5/5 aerial duels, 8/11 ground duels, and four tackles, as well as six ball recoveries. Getty

Toni Kroos - 7. Quiet in the first half but grew into the game after the break, achieving 93 per cent passing accuracy including 100 per cent of his 11 attempted long balls. Getty

Federico Valverde - 8. Preferred to Rodrygo on the right wing and it proved the right move from Carlo Ancelotti after the Spaniard played the killer pass for Vinicius Jr's winning goal. Beyond the assist, Valverde had a good game. AP

Karim Benzema - 7. Capped a sensational season by winning a fifth Champions League title. There was to be no final goalscoring heroics but surely Benzema is headed for the Ballon d'Or. EPA

Vinicius Junior - 9. A constant threat down Madrid's left flank and popped up with the game-winning goal. Vinicius finished the season with 22 goals and 20 assists. Getty

SUBS: Eduardo Camavinga (Valverde 85') - N/A. Brought on for the final five minutes to help Madrid over the line. AP

Dani Ceballos (Modric 90') - N/A. Provided fresh legs for injury time. Getty

Rodrygo (Vinicius 90'+3) - N/A. AFP

"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