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Real Madrid: Is Karim Benzema’s Time Coming to an End?

By Ahmed Genina

Real Madrid's French forward Karim Benzema (2nd R) celebrates a goal with teammates during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Athletic Club Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on October 23, 2016. / AFP / CURTO DE LA TORRE (Photo credit should read CURTO DE LA TORRE/AFP/Getty Images)
Real Madrid's French forward Karim Benzema (2nd R) celebrates a goal with teammates during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Athletic Club Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on October 23, 2016. / AFP / CURTO DE LA TORRE (Photo credit should read CURTO DE LA TORRE/AFP/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Power Sport Images/Getty Images)
(Photo by Power Sport Images/Getty Images) /

Recently due to his disappointing performances, rumor has it that the Real Madrid board has decided to sell Karim Benzema at the end of the season. Has the Frenchman become so bad he doesn’t deserve to wear the white shirt anymore?

Long story short: He deserved it … long ago!

Score goals!

When Real Madrid paid Olympique Lyon €35 million in 2009, they brought Benzema to become a deadly goalscorer alongside Cristiano Ronaldo upfront. However, Benzema wasn’t exactly that player.

Fast forward to July 2012, former Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho kept Benzema and even depended on him as his first choice striker despite having a fine alternative on the bench in the form of Gonzalo Higuain (who was at some point in time the first choice).

So why did a coach with so much influence on Real Madrid’s board like Mourinho decide to depend on a player who didn’t turn out as expected?

Simply because Benzema didn’t offer what the fans expected from him. However, he offered something else that was on many occasions equally valuable. Even more valuable than a hungry goal machine at times: selflessness.

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