Former Real Madrid assistant coach David Bettoni is delighted for Karim Benzema after his Ballon d'Or triumph.

Benzema, at 34, was awarded the Ballon d'Or last night in Paris.

Bettoni told RMC: “I am super happy for him, he fully deserves it, but not just for this extraordinary season that he had individually and collectively with Real. Above all, it's all these years of work, I worked with him for five or six years, I worked with him individually, because he was demanding at complicated times in his career, compared to the France team. It's a long-term job.

"Besides having the Ballon d'Or at 34... I'm really very happy for the player and for the man I got to know, someone simple, humble, hardworking. In addition, as we have origins from Lyon, the feeling passed quickly, but I am really very, very happy. Plus, seeing the picture with Zizou is really the icing on the cake.

"He has a few years left, but what better image than this. Karim Benzema Ballon d'Or, the fifth Frenchman, I am very, very moved."