Karim Benzema is the Ballon d’Or winner. Real Madrid fans rejoiced around the world as the Frenchman picked up the most prestigious individual award in all of football. And nobody can say that he did not deserve it after the remarkable campaign that he had, guiding Los Blancos to La Liga and Champions League glory, almost on his own at times, when everything had seemed lost.
Benzema’s story is one of perseverance. For years, he had been considered as a bit-part player at Real Madrid. Someone who was expendable and every summer, there were links to different strikers. During his rough patch of form, he was even whistled by the fans.
Yet, here he stands, at 34 years of age, as the best player in the world. It goes without saying that it was an emotional moment for the player.
And as reported by Evening Standard, Benzema said after being crowned the Ballon d’Or winner:
"“This makes me really proud, all the work I did, I never gave up.“I had two role models in my life, Zidane and Ronaldo as well. I always had this dream in my mind that everything’s possible. There was a difficult period where I wasn’t in the French team but I worked hard and never gave up, kept my head down and enjoyed playing football.“I’m really proud of my journey here, it wasn’t easy, it was difficult, for me and my family. To be here today, the first time for me. I am just really, really happy, thanks to my teammates, with Real Madrid and the national team.”"
Benzema sends emotional message after Real Madrid superstar is crowned the Ballon d’Or winner
Benzema’s story is truly of someone who never gave up, even when things were not going his way, and when he faced his biggest challenge, to take up the goalscoring burden at Real Madrid following Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit, he did it with a smile on his face.
According to stats from Transfermarkt, Benzema scored 44 goals and provided 15 assists in 46 appearances across all competitions last season. And even more remarkably, 15 of those goals came in the UEFA Champions League.
Benzema truly deserves every plaudit that is coming his way right now because he has worked for each and every one of them. Not just in the previous season but since the day that he arrived at Real Madrid.
Congratulations Karim. Hopefully there are a few more of these to come in the future as well.