Karim Benzema reacts to winning his first Pichichi Trophy

Real Madrid and France striker Karim Benzema picked up a hat-trick of trophies at the MARCA 2022 Awards Gala, including his first-ever Pichichi Trophy.

The trophy, awarded by MARCA to the top scorer in La Liga each season, was won by Benzema for the first time after a breathtaking season in which he scored 44 goals and helped Los Merengues to both the league title and their 14th Champions League victory.

Benzema also picked up the Di Stefano Trophy and the Hyundai Fan MVP Trophy on yet another successful night for the 34-year-old.

"Thank you very much. It's a very important trophy for me," said Benzema during his acceptance speech. "Thanks to my teammates. Without them, I wouldn't have been here today.

"Thanks to the fans, the club and the president. Every year is different, every year the rivals want to win La Liga and let's see what happens this year. But we are strong and let's see what happens.

"I feel very proud of my work. I think this year is going to be a difficult year, with great enthusiasm, I always want to do more. I'm going to try to do more. Win La Liga, score a lot of goals and most importantly for me, enjoy it."

Speaking to MARCA during the awards ceremony, Benzema also confirmed he is close to making his return from injury and could even make his comeback in time for Real Madrid's clash with Osasuna on Sunday.

"Well, I've trained with the team, I feel good and I'm looking forward to Sunday's game. I'm ready to play," said the Frenchman.

In addition to his exploits at club level, Benzema will be looking to help his country win a second successive World Cup, having been left out of the squad in 2018.