UEFA's Technical Observer panel have named Real Madrid's Karim Benzema as the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League Player of the Season.

The French striker was a talismanic figure for Madrid as he drove them on to a record 14th European title, and his fifth since he joined from Lyon in 2009. Not only did Benzema hit double figures for Champions League goals in a single season for the first time in his career, his final tally of 15 earned him top spot in the competition scoring charts.

Although Benzema did not add to his haul in the final, he now stands joint third with Robert Lewandowski in the all-time European Cup goals table. "He gets better every day, like wine," his coach Carlo Ancelotti explained last month. "Every day he becomes an even better leader, and feels more how important he is for the team and for the club. We are really happy and lucky to have him."

🥇 UEFA's Technical Observer panel have named Real Madrid's Karim Benzema as the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League Player of the Season 👏👏👏@Benzema | #UCL

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 31, 2022