Karim Benzema, the "Benjamin Button" of Real Madrid

"If he was a tocard and a dirty guy, he wouldn't have made it to Real Madrid for ten years in a row." From his haven of peace in Lyon, Bernard Lacombe, 67 years old and immense alumnus of the house of OL, lacks superlatives to describe the career and longevity of his "son Karim" in the colors of the Merengue. The former player and Rhone manager - now out of business, but in regular contact with the Madrid star, to the point that he does not miss one of his matches - takes a tender look at his former protégé.

It must be said that at 32, Karim Benzema is doing everything to stay at the top of the poster. Longevity, attention to detail, experience, complete game ... At the forefront of Real Madrid close to conquering his thirty-fourth title of champion of Spain in front of the eternal Catalan rival, the French (81 selections, 27 goals) has never appeared so strong and sure of its strength today. And if his troubles with the justice system for his involvement in the sextape affair continue to stick to him, the principal concerned shines on the grounds, under the orders of Zinedine Zidane, as impervious to any pressure.

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Here undoubtedly resides one of the greatest qualities of the fifth top scorer in the history of Real Madrid: his ability to last over time in the largest club in the world (13 Champions Leagues in the charts). An immense feat at a time when football can no longer forgive roughly and yields too easily to the ease of change. In recent days, the man with the four Champions Leagues has even blown out his eleventh candle in the White House.

Seven different coaches in eleven seasons at Real

Eleven years tinged with learning, doubts, criticism but above all success, where he will have known seven different coaches (Zidane twice, Lopetegui, Solari, Benitez, Ancelotti, Mourinho, Pellegrini) without forgetting the increased competition and the many sacred customers recruited to steal his place. "You are not a normal person when you are number 9 of Real Madrid for a decade," whispers Enrique Iglesias, journalist for national radio Cadenas Cope, nicely. It's phenomenal, Benzema is a little genius. ”

What seems far away the period of July 2009 when, at the age of 21, Karim Benzema disembarked in Madrid from Lyon to learn and rub shoulders with excellence. Eleven years later, the bet is more than successful. And the gargantuan trophy box (4 Champions Leagues, 2 Liga titles, 4 Club World Cups, not to mention his four Ligue 1 titles with OL). To the point of making him one of the best strikers on the football planet. Smiling, cheerful, positive, the introverted Benzema shines and assumes her new role. As if the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2018 had finally allowed him to exist and completely uninhibit himself. To reveal himself definitively in this star status.

“  With Ronaldo, he was an accompanist and the first cello. Today he is a soloist and the director of the orchestra ”

“He plays the best football of his career, attests Omar Da Fonseca, an expert La Liga observer every week on beIN Sports. With Ronaldo, he was an accompanist and the first cello. Today he is a soloist and the director of the orchestra. ” The 60-year-old Argentinian, former goalscorer of Tours, Monaco or Paris SG in the 1980s, is under the spell. “He's a player who plays in a tuxedo with shiny shoes. He avoids the duel, the contact, does not need to feel the breath of the defender on his back. Karim thinks of how he wants and should stroke the ball. He wants the ball to be his best friend. ”

A feeling shared in Spain - his home for more than a decade - by the followers of the Madrid club. “Since the departure of CR7, he's the leader of Real Madrid, plant Pablo Polo, great reporter for Marca and who has been following the Frenchman since his arrival at the Bernabeu. With Cristiano, it was more complex, he was more restrained, at the service of the boss. Now he's the star and his teammates' behavior towards him has changed. No one looks at Benzema the same way anymore. ”

The figure220

goals scored in 448 games with Real Madrid

This season, despite the three-month cut due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 30-year-old seems stronger than ever. As fully mature. Sharp - he lost several pounds during confinement - decisive (involved in 40% of Real's goals) and skillful at making others shine, "KB9" is among the four "untouchables" of Zinedine Zidane, along with Thibault Courtois, Sergio Ramos and Casemiro. Four symbols of a White House that has lagged behind FC Barcelona's Messi, more than ever close to winning the first title of champion of Spain since 2017.

A sign of resplendent form, Real Madrid has extended it for an additional season, with a contract which now runs until June 2022. "Real leaders do not make a feeling, even less with football business d 'today, blows Bernard Lacombe. Do you think that if Benzema no longer worked, it would still be there? Do you know the answer. In addition to his goals (19 in Ligua, 24 in total) and his contribution to a group announced on the decline and stuffed with success, but which ends the season in a rush (9 consecutive victories in the league), the best player of the month of June in Liga also it was indicated by actions of genius. Like this delicious heel for Casemiro on June 29 against the Spaniard (1-0), a gesture that will have gone around the world.

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A sequence to make Zidane even more charmed by his protégé. “I think of genius, I think of this classy gesture, I think of all the people who like to see beautiful football, like me, like you, like all the enthusiasts who like to see this kind of gesture. New proof of a man with multiple qualities, who continues to surprise everyone. "Many attackers would have turned around and struck, he would not. Selfishness is not part of his vocabulary, observes Da Fonseca. He doesn't have a mule hit, not the dribble of Messi, Zamorano's head game, but he is ultra-complete. Number 10, 9 or 9 and a half, he can do everything and has the whole catalog with options. "

"  Still many good years ahead of me  "

From there to place it very high on the chessboard of the attackers of the football planet? For some, the debate does not exist. Or more. "Karim Benzema is one of the most underrated players in the world," whispered Thomas Tuchel in the heart of winter before challenging Madrid with Paris SG in the group stage of the Champions League. He has been playing number 9 at Real Madrid for twenty-five years (laughs). There are other attackers who came, but who is playing? It's him. An opinion shared by other observers.

“He invited himself to the table of the greatest, confirms Pablo Polo, our fellow-member. Behind Messi and Ronaldo, we find Suarez, Mbappé, Lewandowski, Aguero, Griezmann… Benzema is there. The future of football is Mbappé, but the present is Benzema. ” Omar Da Fonseca adds: “For me, he has Marco van Basten in him (mythical striker of Ajax and AC Milan, triple Golden Ball in the years 1980-1990, editor's note) and has nothing to envy Robert Lewandowski. "

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If thirties often sounds like the twilight of a career, the beginning of the decline for footballers (and even a little more for attackers), the main stakeholder is not of this opinion. He still sees himself at the top of the poster for a little while. "I am clearly not at the start of my career, but I still have many good years ahead of me," he said to OL TV last April. Before thinking of the future, the present still offers him the prospect of a new title of champion of Spain from this Thursday evening. Without forgetting the Champions League (Real Madrid face Manchester City on August 7 in the round of 16 after losing to the Bernabeu in the first leg, 1-2). Sign of a man never satisfied.

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