Thibaut Courtois

French striker Benzema captured world football's most prestigious individual annual prize on Monday, finishing ahead of Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne in the podium places.

He was the obviously outstanding candidate after starring – and often captaining – Madrid on their way to LaLiga and Champions League success last season.

The timeframe for the award has changed, shifting from a calendar year gong to one that celebrates achievement from August 1 to July 31.

The new system will continue, so early season efforts in 2022-23 will count towards next year's Ballon d'Or.

Benzema has made a steady start to this campaign, certainly not as eye-catching as Erling Haaland at Manchester City, whose goals could put him in the picture, despite Norway failing to qualify for the World Cup.

Now Ancelotti is urging Benzema to kick on, saying of his prize: "We are very happy. He said that he is very proud of this award and has thanked all his colleagues.

"We have to think about the next Ballon d'Or. He can start tomorrow."

Ancelotti said he felt "proud" of the 34-year-old and also Thibaut Courtois, who landed the prize for the best goalkeeper and finished seventh in the main vote.

Courtois questioned whether a goalkeeper stood any chance of taking the top prize. Lev Yashin, in 1963, is the only keeper to have laid his hands on the trophy.

Speaking after the awards, Courtois said: "It seems that it is better to score a goal than to save one. It is a battle that remains to be won. Seeing the logic of the vote, I had no chance of finishing very high, nor of winning it of course."

At least Courtois could join Benzema in celebrating individual prizes, with Madrid surprisingly pipped to the team award by Premier League champions Manchester City, who Madrid beat in the Champions League semi-finals.

Ancelotti, who will be without the injured Courtois at Elche, saluted Benzema's development into a talisman for the Spanish capital giants.

"He is a player who has much more responsibility and feels much more like a leader than he was eight years ago," said Ancelotti.

"Technically he hasn't changed much, because his technical quality is the same. What has changed is his responsibility and his attitude."

Madrid will hope to follow the individual success with another win on the road, having won all of their five away games so far in LaLiga this term.

They lead LaLiga by three points from Barcelona after winning Sunday's Clasico.

Elche, meanwhile, are winless in their last 12 matches against Madrid in LaLiga (D2 L10), since a 3-1 victory in March 1978.

Captain Benzema sustained a leg injury in last week's 2-0 LaLiga win over Valencia and the striker subsequently missed Sunday's shock 1-0 loss at Real Mallorca.

Goalkeeper Courtois suffered a groin strain during the warm-up of that defeat to Mallorca, which leaves Madrid trailing leaders Barcelona by eight points.

Neither player travelled with the Madrid squad to Moroccan capital Rabat on Monday, while Eder Militao, Lucas Vazquez, Ferland Mendy and Eden Hazard were also absent.

Key men Benzema and Courtois still have a chance of being fit for Saturday's final against either Flamengo or Al Hilal, should Madrid overcome Egyptian side Al Ahly.

Los Blancos, who have won the competition four times in the past eight seasons, also have a Champions League last-16 first-leg tie at Liverpool in a fortnight. 

Thibaut Courtois has signed a fresh five-year deal with Real Madrid, the club confirmed on Monday.

Barcelona were two points clear of Madrid with 11 games remaining when the campaign was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Quique Setien, the head coach of Barca, wants to finish the season, but believes it would be logical that his team were given the title if it was incomplete.

However, Courtois disagreed and said there was too long to go to crown a champion.

"They tied once against us, and lost once, so we showed them that we are a better team, but we're still two points behind," he told Belgian TV.

"So I don't really agree with that. In England, I could understand if Liverpool become champions. I don't know how many points they are ahead. Then I can understand that they make them the champion. What do you do with those that are supposed to go up and down? I think the economy, the TV money plays a big role in that. It's difficult.

"I'd like to finish the season. I think a championship is based on all the matches that have to be played.

"It's 11 games too early to decide on a champion. If we have to choose a champion before we're done, then I find it's better not to award a champion."

Ligue 1 crowned Paris Saint-Germain – who were 12 points clear – champions when they cancelled their season, while Eredivisie opted against giving a title.

Courtois said Madrid still had hope of winning the title, with their last league crown coming in 2016-17.

"We are two points behind Barcelona, so it's still possible we can be champion. So it's unfortunate if the season is cancelled," he said.

"For example, in France there were two teams that dropped, they maybe could have saved themselves, they won't like that. In Holland, no team will be champion, no team is rising or falling, it's unfortunate for guys from the second class who couldn't rise up.

"So if they decide this morning to stop the competition and Barcelona is named champion, I also wouldn't find that completely right."

The goalkeeper said last week Barca should not be awarded the title if the season was unable to be finished due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But LaLiga is aiming to finish its season and Quique Setien's men hold a two-point lead over Madrid with 11 games to play.

Courtois discussed his comments again on Monday and said he did not call for Madrid to be crowned champions.

"At no point did I say that Real Madrid had to be declared champions," he told Television Espanola.

"If the league ends, we're in a better position even if we lost to [Real] Betis.

"If we play the 11 remaining matches then I am confident that my team can win the league."

Courtois returned to training on Monday with LaLiga aiming to get back underway in mid-June.

The Belgium international was happy to be back, albeit in unusual circumstances due to COVID-19.

"It was good to go back to training a little," Courtois said. "But it was weird, different, but feeling the grass and training is better than nothing."

The Brazilian defender kicked out at his compatriot, who had doubled Real Madrid's lead against Valencia to mark his 200th club appearance in style.

Los Blancos emerged 2-0 victors at Santiago Bernabeu to edge closer to leaders Barcelona, yet it was the challenge on Vinicius that left the biggest impression.

Courtois questioned why Vinicius was subject to such treatment, but praised the referee for taking the appropriate action.

"I don't know why he was kicked in that way, we need to protect him," he told LaLigaTV.

"He's a player who dribbles a lot, tries to go past defenders and defenders don't like it. It's the way he is as a player.

"We need him to be that way, we need him to be like that against defenders.

"He receives a lot of kicks and tonight I'm just happy the referee acted and had the bravery to give the red card. The ball is not there, there's no intent to get the ball.

"Even if it was one of us had made that challenge then I would have said yes, it has to be a red card."

Portugal superstar Ronaldo had his contract with Manchester United terminated by mutual consent shortly before his country's World Cup opener, leaving him free to make a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League.

The transfer marks the end of an illustrious career for Ronaldo in Europe, where he lifted the Champions League on five occasions and won the Ballon D'Or on five occasions.

With Ronaldo having reportedly attracted the interest of clubs in Europe and MLS, Courtois believes the addition is a statement of intent from Saudi Arabian football.

"The transfer of Cristiano makes it clear that the country wants to improve in sports," Courtois told reporters.

"Cristiano choosing to come here is his decision, but it shows that Arabia wants to improve. They've brought him in to win the league."

Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti had a similar view of the deal, saying: "Cristiano has been a fantastic signing. We wish him well. He's a legend of our club, like [Gareth] Bale, who retired yesterday. They remain in the hearts of all Madridistas."

Madrid are in Saudi Arabia for the Supercopa de Espana, where they face Valencia in the semi-finals on Wednesday, and Ancelotti wants to use the competition as a benchmark for success in the remainder of the campaign.

"Titles are always important for this club. Last year gave us a lot of confidence for that season. Hopefully the same thing will happen this year," he added.

"We have to fight for all the titles. We have one very close to try to win it. The goal is the Super Cup, for now."

Since completing a €100million move to Real Madrid in June 2019, Hazard has been beset by injury problems and limited to just 25 appearances in all competitions.

He has scored two goals and supplied four assists for Los Blancos, after a final campaign at Chelsea in which he registered 16 goals and 15 assists in the Premier League alone.

A muscle injury meant his first outing of 2020-21 did not come until October 27 and three games into his return he tested positive for coronavirus.  

Hazard was again positive for COVID-19 at the weekend and will consequently miss Belgium's crunch Nations League Group A2 clash with Denmark.

However, Martinez is confident the 29-year-old will soon return to his previous heights and play an important role for Madrid and Belgium.

"Eden really wanted to join us and play the last three games in 2020," said Martinez on Tuesday.

"He has had a really complicated year. I am convinced that 2021 will be a fabulous year for Eden Hazard, and also the national team."

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois added: "It's a shame he'll miss this match, but we have enough quality to win without him.

"The group has more experience, we know what we have to improve. We have one of the best teams in the world."

Martinez will also be without the suspended duo Axel Witsel and Thomas Meunier for the meeting in Heverlee, where a point will be enough for Belgium to qualify for the Nations League Finals.

"We are not going to focus on the absentees. I am looking at the players that will have the chance to put themselves forward, to seize an opportunity," said Martinez.

"I have many solutions to compensate for the absences of Wistel and Meunier. There is Thomas Foket, Thorgan Hazard and Nacer Chadli among others.

"Denmark are a very strong team but we want to participate in the Finals so we will do everything to win. We are not going to aim for a draw. We have to win for the fans and to end the year on a good note."

Belgium missed out on a place in the inaugural Nations League Finals in 2019 after losing their final group game against Switzerland 5-2.

Courtois insists they have learned from that performance and know they cannot take Denmark lightly.

"We know their strengths and weaknesses. If they win, they will quality. We have to show intensity from the first minute to the last, be careful and focused. We will not easily win this game 4-0," said Courtois.

"We had relaxed a bit that day [against Switzerland], it's true. We learned from that match. We are ready for Wednesday."

Croatian playmaker Modric scooped France Football's prestigious prize for world player of the year after his dazzling performances at the 2018 World Cup.

He will turn 37 before the Qatar World Cup in November, but Modric's goal and overall display in the 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday showed he remains a force.

Thibaut Courtois saved a late penalty from Raul Garcia as Madrid made sure of a first trophy since Carlo Ancelotti returned to the club for a second spell as coach.

Asked about Courtois and Modric, Perez said after the game: "Without wanting to brag, they are the two best in their position. The best goalkeeper and Modric in enviable form, worthy of winning the Ballon d'Or again."

Modric's passing accuracy this season is an outstanding 90.41 per cent, and even in the opposition half it is 89.03 per cent, which are impressive numbers given he plays a lot of high-tariff balls.

He has created eight big chances for others this season already and has five assists, while the shot he sent arcing past Unai Simon in the 38th minute at the King Fahd Stadium gave Modric a first goal of the season. He took away the most valuable player award from Sunday's game.

Perez is still probably getting excited too soon, given the Ballon d'Or is an end-of-year prize, but Modric was excellent, and midfield colleague Toni Kroos had a 95 per cent accuracy rate from his game-high 100 passes, helping ensure Madrid had the game tied up before withstanding a late flurry of attacks from Athletic.

Former Barcelona captain Lionel Messi took the Ballon d'Or for a record seventh time last year, with even Robert Lewandowski's Bayern Munich goalscoring feats not enough to knock the Argentine great off his accustomed top spot in the vote.

Madrid should win more silverware this season. They lead LaLiga, have a Copa del Rey last-16 clash with Elche on Thursday, and remain in the Champions League, albeit with a tough tie against Paris Saint-Germain coming up next in that competition.

Perez enthused about the prospects for this Ancelotti stint, saying of Madrid's early success: "It means a lot."

Quoted in Marca, Perez said: "We always want to win everything, they taught us that since we were little. This year it was 60 years since I became a member, and that's how we were educated. I work along the lines that Santiago Bernabeu set for us, and I am happy because we have won the first title."

Courtois did not particularly guess right for Garcia's penalty, as much as guess late, meaning his outstretched leg could reach the ball down the middle as the rest of his body lurched to the right.

"I was hesitating between going to the right or staying in the middle," the Belgian goalkeeper told #Vamos, "and that's why I kept my foot there and I was able to stop it. If not, we would have had a heart-stopping final few minutes."

After coming first in the previous race around the Albert Park circuit, pole-sitter Leclerc took the chequered flag for FDA Hublot Esports Team in the Chinese Virtual Grand Prix in impressive fashion.

Alexander Albon was unable to find a way past the Monegasque and had to settle for second after 28 laps, with Renault's Guanyu Zhou rounding out the top three.

Real Madrid star Courtois may have finished in 16th but he proved to be a great team-mate when, on lap nine, he let Albon past him but refused to allow Leclerc to follow.

Albon said of Courtois: "He's so fast. Thibaut's been driving with us quite a bit in practice sessions and when I first started testing he was quicker than me and I was getting worried about my job.

"He even did team tactics. He held up Charles for a couple of corners, so it was good fun!"

Paris Saint-Germain forward Messi was crowned the Best FIFA Men's Player, Scaloni took the the Best FIFA Men's Coach and Martinez the Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper.

The award period spans between the start of the 2021-22 season through to the end of the 2022 World Cup, which saw Argentina end their 36-year wait to win the competition.

Martinez, who plies his club trade for Aston Villa, finished ahead of Thibaut Courtois and Yassine Bounou of Real Madrid and Sevilla respectively in the voting – although Courtois made the cut for the FIFPro Men's World 11.

Scaloni was next to pick up an award after seeing off competition from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who won a LaLiga and Champions League double last season.

La Albiceleste have lost just one of their 23 games since the start of last season, with their solitary loss coming in their opening Qatar 2022 group game against Saudi Arabia.

Messi made it three from three for Argentina by claiming the top prize at the ceremony in the French capital, which started with a poignant tribute to Brazil great Pele.

Madrid striker Karim Benzema and Messi's PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe had also been in the running for the award.

Argentina's fans also claimed the FIFA Fan Award.

Their domination on the men's side was not quite matched by European champions England in the women's prizes.

While Argentina dominated the men's side of the voting, it was a clean sweep for England in the women's side of things.

Mary Earps was named the Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper and Sarina Wiegman took the Best FIFA Women's Coach award for a third time.

But Beth Mead was pipped to the Best FIFA Women's Player accolade by Alexia Putellas, last year's winner.

Other winners included Luka Lochoshvili, then of Austrian side Wolfsberger, in the FIFA Fair Play Award category for potentially saving the life of opponent Georg Teigl during a game after the Austria Vienna player fell unconscious mid-match.

Polish amputee footballer Marcin Oleksy won the FIFA Puskas Award for the best goal for his perfectly executed bicycle kick for Warta Poznan against Stal Rzeszow.

A campaign interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic led to schedule changes and empty stadiums, yet football offered a welcome positive for a country hit hard by COVID-19.

Madrid excelled upon the resumption, overtaking Barcelona on their way to securing a 34th title in their illustrious history, albeit a first since 2017.

Unsurprisingly in the Opta LaLiga team for 19-20, the newly crowned champions are well represented. It should also not come as a shock to see a certain number 10 from their rivals make the line-up, too.

However, who else statistically stacked up during the campaign? Take a look at the final XI.

1. THIBAUT COURTOIS (REAL MADRID)

The last line of defence for Zinedine Zidane's title winners, Courtois stopped 79.2 per cent of the shots he faced (76/96), the highest percentage among goalkeepers with at least 10 games played. The Belgian finished with 18 clean sheets, one more than Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak.

2. JESUS NAVAS (SEVILLA)

Now in his second spell with Sevilla after returning from Manchester City, Navas was converted into a more defensive role. Still, the Spain international remained a key attacking outlet for his team - he tried (232) and completed (55) the most crosses into the penalty area in LaLiga. 

3. PERVIS ESTUPINAN (OSASUNA)

On loan from Watford, Ecuador international Estupinan was a key member of an Osasuna squad that not only survived but thrived on their return to the top flight, finishing in 10th place. He was the only defender to attempt over 100 dribbles, while also recovered the ball a league-high 275 times.

4. SERGIO RAMOS (REAL MADRID)

Madrid's captain led from the front, despite playing at the back. Ramos contributed 11 goals - the most by a defender in a single season in the 21st century, surpassing Mario Pernia's tally of 10 with Getafe in 2005-06. The 34-year-old was on target in the final game against Leganes, his 650th appearance for Los Blancos.

5. DIEGO CARLOS (SEVILLA)

Centre-back Carlos excelled for Julen Lopetegui's Sevilla, helping them secure Champions League football by finishing fourth. His total of 174 clearances topped the list, while he was the only one to have made over 100 clearances with his head. It is hardly surprising, then, that he has been linked with a big-money move elsewhere.

6. CASEMIRO (REAL MADRID)

A defensive-minded midfielder, Casemiro was crucial in laying the foundations for Madrid's attacking talent to shine. The Brazilian recovered more balls in LaLiga than any other player and made 60 successful tackles. There was also the occasional goal too, including a brace that proved the difference in a 2-1 win over Sevilla in January.

7. LUCAS OCAMPOS (SEVILLA)

A third representative from Sevilla, Ocampos proved to be another transfer masterstroke from sporting director Monchi. Having arrived from Marseille for a reported fee of €15million, the winger tried 180 dribbles, completing 67. Only Lionel Messi (283) had more attempts, while no Sevilla player has reached such a number since 2003-04.

8. TONI KROOS (REAL MADRID)

A mainstay at Madrid now since joining from Bayern Munich in 2014, Kroos is a league winner for a second time in Spain. The German midfielder is ridiculously reliable in possession, completing 93.5 per cent of his passes (2,184 out of 2,336 attempted). That is the highest percentage of any player who featured in at least 10 games.

9. KARIM BENZEMA (REAL MADRID)

Now centre stage in Madrid's attack with Cristiano Ronaldo in Turin, Benzema matched his 2018-19 total with 21 LaLiga goals. The Frenchman had the useful knack of making a crucial impact for his team in key moments - his scoring return was worth 16 points for Zidane's squad as they finished on top of the table.

10. LIONEL MESSI (BARCELONA)

Of course Messi makes the XI. Barcelona failed to defend their title but their talisman was outstanding once again, becoming the only player to reach 20 goals (25) and also 20 assists (21) in the same season in the 21st century in LaLiga. His scoring exploits were enough to secure a seventh Pichichi award, as he finished ahead of Benzema.

11. SANTI CAZORLA (VILLARREAL)

Cazorla takes the final spot but will obviously not be in action in Spain's top-flight next season - he is heading to Qatar to continue his career with Al Sadd. Still, he signed off in style with Villarreal, providing the most assists (nine) for a midfielder while ranking third in terms of chances created (71). So long, Santi. Thanks for the memories.