Karim de la cr�me: Benzema tops the class to claim Ballon d'Or

"Sweet dreams are made of this," insisted Annie Lennox in the Eurthymics' hit from in 1983. And, to riff on the next line from the song, who are we to disagree? Especially after French football champion Karim Benzema won the 2022 Ballon d'Or.

As a wannabe wonder boy in the Bron district of Lyon, Benzema outlined a trinity of dreams.

A new house for his mother; to play for Real Madrid and to win the Ballon d