It’s the story of a guy. Or rather, of a young Gone, “discreet, shy“, long confined to the role of lieutenant of one of the best players in history. Karim Benzema, who seemed subscribed to a role of eternal second knife in Real Madrid, finally proved to be so sharp that he became the France’s top scorer in history, the most successful French player and having recorded the most starts in the Champions League, he is already a legend of Real Madrid, who travels to Chelsea in the quarter-finals first leg. the C1, Wednesday April 6th.
“KB9” has only worn three different jerseys in his professional career: that of his training club, Olympique Lyonnais, that of the France team, since his first cape at 19, and that of Real Madrid, where he won almost everything. At 34, the centre-forward is an example of longevity, stability and loyalty.
Arrived at the training center at ten years old, Benzema learned all his skills at OL. But the young boy of that time did not immediately highlight himself, even if his potential was obvious. Armand Garrido, former trainer of the U17s of Olympique Lyonnais, remembers a kid “calm, discreet, even shy“. The click, it is between his 15 and 17 years that he arrives. “His involvement in the field changed and he quickly signed professional.“The reason for this sudden outbreak?”He is a hardworking football enthusiast“, slips Armand Garrido. Work and passion, two words that will mark his career.
— Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) January 15, 2020
Joined the Lyon pro group in 2004, the striker played his first match in January 2005. Sidney Govou, who played at OL between 1999 and 2010, quickly understood that this young Gone was a striker of his time, that of the 2000s, which marks the twilight of surface foxes. Benzema is different,”a player who doesn’t just score goals“, insists the former Rhone winger.
The statistics prove him right: in addition to his status as top scorer in the 2007-2008 season, Karim Benzema delivers six assists, making him the second leading striker in this ranking. In the summer of 2009, after 148 appearances for OL, it was time to take off, far from the Rhône, swapping one white tunic for another.
The Rhodanien arrives at the same time as a certain Cristiano Ronaldo, Golden Ball and new record transfer, in a Madrid which is rebuilding a galactic era. The beginnings are irregular, and the French, in competition with Gonzalo Higuain, doesn’t play all the time, to the point of not being selected for the 2010 World Cup.”Benzema remains in crisis, not only of goals but also of footballing identity“, wrote the Spanish newspaper ace in October 2009, the day after a defeat against AC Milan (2-3). “He looks like he hasn’t arrived in Madrid yet“, abounded brand.
In 2010, José Mourinho, then in charge of Real, publicly criticized the Frenchman’s lack of aggressiveness and combativeness, while Higuain’s injury forced him to establish him. “If you don’t have a dog to go hunting but you have a cat, then you take the cat, right? Because you can’t go it alone. We have one striker, Benzema.”
“If you don’t have a dog to go hunting but you have a cat, then you take the cat, right? Because you can’t go it alone. We have only one striker, Benzema”, José Mourinho (2010).
— Real France (@realfrance_fr) April 22, 2020
An exit very little tasted by the attacker, who will explain it with his coach in private. Yet stingy with patience, the leaders of Real show leniency with the French. “NOTwe have a striker for ten years“, assures the then general manager Jorge Valdano. The club will always support him, even during the turmoil born of the sextape affair, in November 2015, which will earn him media custody and an indictment for “complicity in attempted blackmail and participation in a criminal association”.
This unwavering support from Casa Blanca will allow Benzema to stay focused on the pitch. He grew up there intelligently, in the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo. “He understood that he had to be a little less focused on the goal than Cristiano“, explains Sidney Govou. For Alain Perrin, the striker then becomes “a technical player, who likes to pass, who likes to play with his partners“.
“When he was young, we always used him as a No.10.”
Armand Garrido, former OL trainerfrance info: sports
A development not so surprising, to hear his trainer Armand Garrido. “He has always been surrounded by very good players in attack, from the academy with players like Loïc Rémy or Hatem Ben Arfa, reminds his coach in U17. When he was young, we used him like a number 10 [milieu offensif]which revolved around the attacker.” Stepping back and leaving the star to Cristiano Ronaldo was therefore in his DNA, making him the faithful lieutenant of the Portuguese. Where CR7 scores from 41 to 61 goals per season, Benzema navigates between 17 and 28. But everyone agrees on one point: he is the man in the shadows, indispensable to the Portuguese.
But in 2018, Real recorded the departure of Ronaldo. It’s time. Almost ten years after his arrival, Karim Benzema becomes the boss of the attack of the Merengues, scoring more than 30 goals per season. Orphan of his lieutenant, Ronaldo, he will not regain his gargantuan performance once he has passed to Juventus Turin. “He became the technical leader of the team, as since his return to the France team“, analyzes Alain Perrin.
“He developed this ability to be a leader and he came to an age where people listen to him and follow him.”
Sidney Govoufrance info: sports
“It’s part of his progression. salute Sidney Govou. He developed this ability to be a leader. It was not necessarily innate“. Realization of this new stature: the captain’s armband recovered from the departure of captain Sergio Ramos last summer. Undisputed leader, he now passes on to the new generation of Real. “Vinicius [son coéquipier brésilien de 21 ans] I didn’t teach him football, he confided to The Team, Tuesday, April 5. (…) Now he makes the right choices, he thinks. This is what I taught him.”
This season, “KB nueve” is on track to achieve its best exercise, with 32 goals and 13 assists in 34 games. His performance at the Parc des Princes, which disgusted the “galactic” PSG, allows him to still be in the race to win a fifth Champions League … and why not dream of a first Ballon d’Or, which saw its system and which could well consecrate a Frenchman as the first winner of its new version.