How Karim Benzema proved haters wrong
Five minutes before the break in the match “Real Madrid” – “Athletic”. A crazy pass involving Vinicius and Modric in the Basques’ box leads to Asensio’s shot from fifteen meters away. Unai Simon drags, the ball flies to Modric. The Croatian kicks, but Benzema finds himself at the right point in space and realizes the moment. The Santiago Bernabeu is shaking.
Karim Benzema on top of the world
The goal will be the only one in the match. Real Madrid are seven points clear of their nearest rivals, and the fans in the stadium escorted the French scorer by chanting “Ballon d’Or”, “Ballon d’Or”. I remember that every season in FIFA 2009 I started the same way, no matter which of the top teams I played for. First of all, to buy Karim Benzema from Lyon. From that Lyon, I generally wanted to buy half a team, so sometimes I just saved time and immediately took the French club. But more often – he gave as much as they asked for the “nine”, which has already thundered in Europe. For the 2007/08 season, he placed twenty in the French championship and four more in the Champions League. Already played for the national team, though still only in freight trains or against the Faroe Islands. He ideally opened up for the passes of Govu and Juninho in the penalty area, attacked from the flank, and hit from outside the penalty area. In short, an ideal and not yet pop modern striker. Now how bang in “Real”!
Benzema’s arrival in Spain
Karim arrived in Madrid and began to warm up a place on the bench, looking at the game of Higuain. Then Mourinho began to bring him up, melancholy saying at a press conference: “If you don’t have a dog, you have to go hunting with a cat.” Even after the first successful season (2011/12 – 21 goals in the championship), Real Madrid fans on the Marca website voted for the acquisition of Radamel Falcao or Robert Lewandowski. Real Madrid need a real nine. That’s how Ronaldo is. Or Shuker, remember? Well, at least as van Nistelrooy. What about Benzema? Sell.
Not a good start in Real Madrid
Four years ago, the absolute lowest point – 12 goals in all competitions in 47 matches. That is, a pace that even Luka Jovic can master. But a difficult season is not even Raul and not Negredo, not Adebayor and not Chicharito, not Morata and not Mariano. Benzema has outlived them all.
And when all the superstars disappeared into the air, leaving behind only the smell of Turin, a hospital or a burger joint, it turned out that Karim could take all these under-scored balls on himself. And he is also Superman, it was just warmer in the phone booth, and too lazy to change clothes.
Real Madrid fans wanted a super striker, and all this time he was in front of their eyes. He played differently from his predecessors, yes, but he climbed higher in the end. I will not argue how significant Karim Benzema’s bid for the Ballon d’Or was this year. This is not so important. By the time the Bernabéu was chanting “Ballon d’Or”, he had already won the top individual award of his career.