Ballon D'Or 2012 Nominees: Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and his Chances for Top Three Placement After Spanish League Title

With this year's nomination for the 2012 Ballon D'Or, Frenchman Karim Benzema has now been nominated for the prestigious award two years in a row.

Benzema has had a tremendous year with Real Madrid and the French national team. Despite scoring no goals in the Euro Cup, Benzema recorded two assists and was a major reason that the French made it to the quarterfinals. He scored 32 times for Real Madrid in the 2011-12 season and added 14 assists in all competitions.

He is off to a strong start this season with five goals in all competitions and four assists, but only has one goal in the Spanish League season. His time has been limited but some of his more dynamic goals have proven why he is one of the most dangerous strikers to date. His goal against Ajax in the Champions League this season is truly unforgettable.

Biggest Moment of the Year: Scoring twice in the title-clinching match for Real Madrid over Sevilla. In that 3-0 win, Benzema scored in 48^th and 52^nd minutes to leave no doubt of who would win La Liga title in the 2011-12 season.

Chances of a Top Three Finish: Benzema is coming along for the ride. His biggest accomplishment of the year is the Spanish League title but there are six other players with the same claim. Of those six, three won the Euro Cup with Spain, and one of them is Cristiano Ronaldo. The chances of Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are locks, so Benzema would have to make a valid argument to be placed above any one of those other three. Unfortunately, he has none.

Other Nominee Profiles:

Sergio Aguero

Xabi Alonso

Mario Balotelli