Karim Benzema: no Ballon d'Or, just hard work, quality and discretion

The French player of Algerian descent is astounding the football world with his level of play over the last five years.

As his coach Carlo Ancelotti said yesterday, he is an example to his team-mates on and off the pitch. He acts as captain with humility, professionalism and a lot of quality.

Since the departure of Sergio Ramos, who gave so much to Real Madrid and who has stopped receiving so much because he wanted to and because of the economic mismanagement of his entourage, the current captains are an example of professionalism and love for the club.

Both Marcelo, first captain, who does not play on the pitch because he is not a starter, but who is an example of a good teammate and discretion, and Nacho Fernández, third captain and a player from the youth academy who always delivers wherever you put him, show that they have assimilated the values of the club and are an example for their teammates.

Karim, second captain, but on the pitch most of the time as first captain, is going to become one of the great captains who will go down in the history of the Whites, like Raúl, Casillas, Hierro, Camacho, Amancio, Zoco, Gento, etc.

When he arrived at Real Madrid he was a player who was questioned. The fans did not understand his game and accused him of being indolent and of not being effective enough in front of goal to be a 9, a centre forward. 

In addition, the fact that he was a direct signing by Florentino Pérez, sometimes referred to as a whim of the president who did not have the level to play in the best team in the world, did not help.

He arrived in the 2009-2010 season at Real Madrid and has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or ten times.

There was a fact that we don't know if it conditioned him for better or worse. Looking at the last three years, it seems to be for the worse, and that is his coincidence with Cristiano Ronaldo at the club.

They both arrived in the same year and Karim was always in the shadow of the Portuguese star, whose goals made it impossible to compete with him in terms of prominence. They were together until the 2017-2018 season and many of us believe that a large part of Cristiano's success at Real Madrid was due to the contribution of a generous, hard-working Karim, who opened up space for him and created chances for him. He was a luxury team-mate who, along with Modric, Kroos, Ramos, Marcelo, etc., delighted the fans with great seasons full of titles.

When the Portuguese left, all eyes were focused on the Welshman Gareth Bale. There was often talk of Bale's potential and his lack of prominence due to the presence of Ronaldo. The 2018-2019 season was his chance, but he has not picked up Cristiano's baton and little by little he has been diluted and angered the fans with his fondness for golf.

Both the Portuguese, the Welshman and the Sevillian have failed to be clear about what they really want on a sporting and professional level. Something that other players at the club have been very clear about, such as Modric, Kroos, Courtois, Casemiro, Militao, etc. Even those who are not regulars in the line-ups such as Nacho or Marcelo maintain an exemplary behaviour every day with work and discretion.

Within this group is Karim Benzema, who during the more than ten years he has been at the club has been able to adapt to all situations and has always had a clear idea of what he wanted. It is none other than to succeed at Real Madrid through hard work and professionalism. A few years ago, when he was approaching his thirties, he changed his routines and eating habits to maintain a physical tone that would allow him to compete at the highest level. 

Not only has he succeeded, but he has improved in everything. Ancelotti's definition yesterday: "Karim is like wine, he gets better with age", is a reality, but based on work, on leading an elite sportsman's life and of course on treasuring a quality that some did not see a few years ago, but that nobody disputes today.

In recent years the Madrid striker has replaced a Cristiano Ronaldo that was not easy to replace. He not only brings goals, but also work. Yesterday, against a Chelsea team that was a priori physically superior to Real Madrid in terms of youth, Karim gave a master class in how to head in a header, on the run, with a foreshortened shot, but also in how to put pressure on the opposition goalkeeper and make him make mistakes. It's not the first time, let Donnarumma or Karius tell him.

He complements this quality and hard work with a love for his profession and, above all, for his club.

This is what is clear from their statements. His renewals have been discreet and very agile. His last statement after renewing his contract was: "It is a dream for me to play for Real Madrid and I am lucky every day to be able to live this dream at the best football club in the world. Every day here for me is to enjoy myself and I will continue to work and feel happy playing and training to make history at the club".

In 2021 when asked by the press about his renewal he simply said: "If the president wants to renew me, I'm here, the door is open".

There were never any money issues with his renewal. He earns eight million. He is not among Real Madrid's highest paid players, but he is undoubtedly among the most loved.

The madridismo has a great idol for a while and not only the madridismo, at world-wide level the affection that professes to the whole world of the football is every day greater. 

The Ballon d'Or? Maybe they will give it to him one day, but it is not important. Karim has the affection and admiration of the vast majority of the fans, madridistas and non-madridistas.

Yesterday at Stamford Bridge he was not applauded as he should have been when he retired. If it had been at one of the great temples of football such as Old Trafford, Juventus Stadium, the Allianz Arena, San Mamés or even the Camp Nou he would have left the pitch to applause as happened with players such as Cristiano Ronaldo in Turin, Ronaldo Nazario in Manchester, Ronaldinho at the Bernabéu, Laurie Cunningham in Barcelona or Modric and Iniesta in various stadiums.

Karim Benzema, great captain, idol of the fans and a great player deserving of all the awards.