Real Madrid to pay out €1million after Benzema wins 2022 Ballon d’Or

Real Madrid will pay out €1million to Lyon due to a clause in Karim Benzema’s contract, after the striker won this year’s Ballon d’Or award on Monday evening.

The Frenchman joined Los Blancos from Lyon in 2009.

Benzema has gone on to score 328 goals for Madrid, the second-highest in the club’s history, behind only former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 34-year-old netted 44 goals as the LaLiga giants won the league title and Champions League trophy.

A clause agreed between the clubs when Benzema moved to the Spanish capital from Lyon in 2009 means that Real Madrid will have to pay €1m (£870k) to the Ligue 1 club as that was the add-on included for winning the Ballon d’Or crown.

“It is an immense pride with a lot of emotion because Karim is a child of Lyon.

“He is a child that we have seen grow up and that we have seen flourish. We have seen him succeed in almost everything he has undertaken,” Lyon’s president, Jean-Michel Aulas, said after the ceremony.

“And then that is partly for us, as we not only hired him since his first contracts, he signed them with us – that is a source of pride. Pride imprinted with a message, that of being an example and a leader because having a youngster like Karim who only plays two clubs in his entire career is special.”