In an interview, he revealed his feelings before the big tournament. As part of the interview, he was able to talk about winning the Ballon d’Or for one of the first times.
Benzema was pushing and pushing himself for the last four years to get Ballon d’Or
Karim Benzema is already in ‘World Cup mode’. The Real Madrid striker will be in Qatar with France, one of the favourites to lift the World Cup. In an interview, he revealed his feelings before the big tournament. As part of the interview, he was able to talk about winning the Ballon d’Or for one of the first times. “I didn’t want to stop playing until I won the Ballon d’Or,” Benzema told reporters. “I always believed in myself, and I knew that at some point, with my qualities and my ambitions, I could win it. That’s why I’ve been pushing and pushing for the last four years to get this trophy.” Whilst they were teammates at Real Madrid for many years, Cristiano Ronaldo has yet to congratulate Benzema on his Ballon d’Or success. “No, not yet.”
The problem for football players is that they aren’t machines
Benzema heads into the World Cup after having been battling against injury, and his form hasn’t been at the level it was in 2021/22. “I’m fine; I had a few little aches and pains, a bit all over the place,” he continued. “It’s normal with the amount of games there have been. I’ve taken care of myself, I’ll be fit and present for the national team, so there’s no problem. I’ll be focused and concentrated on what I have to do.” The number of matches played in the build-up to the winter World Cup has been staggering, yet Benzema refused to criticize the scheduling outrightly. “We like to play football,” he added. “The problem is that we aren’t machines. You always have to be at 100 per cent and play every three days. At some point, there are injuries; it’s normal.”
On paper, France are the best in the group
After a period where it looked like his international career was over, Benzema’s return has been seen as a second-coming for the forward, and he is delighted to be present at another World Cup. “I have a lot of pride,” he confirmed. “I have a lot of joy; we know what a World Cup means. I can’t wait for it to start.” France head to Qatar as the holders of the trophy, and they are considered as one of the pre-tournament favourites again. “All French people think the same thing,” he declared. “On paper, we’re the best in the group; we mustn’t hide from that. We have a lot of talent in this team, but football is always the same. It’s 11 v 11 on the pitch, so we must be ambitious, respect our opponents and do everything we can to win our three games.”
Real Madrid are no strangers to the World Cup. The Spanish champions have a lot of talent that is going to Qatar, not least the Brazilian contingent of Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr and Eder Militao. Benzema knew these players well and was asked if the Selecao are favourites. “They are favourites, as Argentina can be, as Spain can be, and France, of course,” he stated. “We have to say it, and we have to show that we are the favourites and that we want to win.”