On October 17th 2022, Real Madrid and France forward Karim Benzema won the Ballon d’Or, the coveted award given to the best footballer/soccer player of the year. In doing so, Benzema became the first Frenchman to scoop the prestigious award since Zinedine Zidane.
Many were not surprised, as the French soccer star scored 44 goals in 46 games for Real Madrid last season. He beat Sadio Mane, Kevin De Bruyne and Robert Lewandowski to the award which was handed to him by Zinedine Zidane, who won the award back in 1998.
“This is a childhood dream. My journey was not easy. It was difficult for me and my family. To be here today for the first time, I am happy with my work. I will keep going,” said Benzema in his acceptance speech.
What was surprising, however, was the fit that the 34-year-old sported to scoop his trophy at a ceremony in Paris—and that served as a tribute to one of his heroes, Tupac Shakur. The star of the French national team wore an outfit almost identical to the one the rapper and actor, who was murdered in 1996, wore to one of the galas where he was presented with a music award.
![](https://i0.wp.com/myrapverse.com/staging/5039/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/image-7-1024x823.png?resize=1024%2C823&ssl=1)
The tux is by Fendi. It’s an MTM navy tuxedo with satin, accented by a flat bow tie with a pair of Fendi Shadow lace up shoes. To be precise. Benzema has a line of glasses in collaboration with Jean Paul Gaultier. The website description also has some hints as to the inspiration: “Jean Paul Gaultier joins forces with Karim Benzema for a second drop of the brand’s iconic eyewear. The model 56-6106 of the 90s, worn by icons such as 2Pac, were selected from the brand’s archives by “KB9″.” It’s all connected, man.
![](https://i0.wp.com/assets.goal.com/v3/assets/bltcc7a7ffd2fbf71f5/blt603f7d1c39e35936/634db68e85591f7842cf4d8d/Karim_Benzema(3).jpg?w=1170&ssl=1)