Real Madrid striker Benzema has become a favourite for the Ballon d'Or with his outstanding individual performances. Recently, the French media "Team Newspaper" took stock of Benzema's four potential opponents with the Golden Ball, namely De Bruyne, Levan, Mane, and Mbappe.
De Bruyne
De Bruyne has made 40 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring 15 goals and having 12 assists.
The Team Newspaper believes that the 30-year-old Belgian attacking midfielder seems to be omnipotent, and in this season's Manchester City game, he is the "gear" that helps the team to operate. De Bruyne knows how to play brilliantly 30 metres in front of goal, as he did with his recent goals against Manchester United, Liverpool or Atletico Madrid. This season, he is expected to win the Premier League title and reach the Champions League final again.
Lewandowski
Levan has made 47 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring 52 goals and having eight assists.
Levan has been a favourite for the Ballon d'Or in recent years and is also expected to win the Bundesliga title for the eighth time and also has a chance to win the Champions League again. He has scored 46 goals at the club and 6 goals in the national team this season.
Mane
Mane has made 53 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring 22 goals and having four assists.
Mane differed from Salah, who won the Africa Cup of Nations in February and led his team to the World Cup. Liverpool now have a chance to compete for Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup titles, and they have already won the League Cup.
Mbappe
Mbappe has made 42 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring 33 goals and having 19 assists.
Unlike the players above, Mbappe is still young, he is only 23 years old, the newspaper said. Although Paris Saint-Germain have been eliminated in the Champions League, he is an indispensable member of both the national team and the club. It is worth mentioning that Mbappe is not only the current Ligue 1 top scorer, but also occupies the top of the league assist list with 14 assists.