Karim Benzema was voted UEFA Player of the Year at the Champions League group stage draw in Istanbul on Thursday, which meant that the Red Devil duo of Thibaud Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne lost out to the French striker.
Benzema, at the age of 34, won his first ever UEFA Player of the Year award, having launched Real Madrid to lifting both the Champions League and the Spanish league title by scoring 44 goals last season, including 27 in the league and 15 in the Champions League.
The two other finalists were Belgium's star players Thibaud Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne.
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Thibaud Courtois, Belgium and Real Madrid's starting goalkeeper lost out despite being voted Man of the Match in the Spanish side's victory in the Champions League against Liverpool in Paris.
De Bruyne, who also came second in the PFA Player of the Year award, reached the semi-finals of the Champions League with Manchester City, but above all was champion of England for the fourth time in five years.
Among the other awards handed out during the evening, the Spanish and Barcelona player Alexia Putellas was voted UEFA's Women's Player of the Year.
Carlo Ancelotti and Sabrina Wiegman were voted Coaches of the Year, for European men's and women's football respectively.
