“It has no impact. Ramadan is part of my life and my religion makes Ramadan an obligation. For me, it is very important and I feel good when I fast”said Karim Benzema in an interview given to Esquire. After words, there were actions. On Wednesday April 6, his club, Real Madrid was to face Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on the London side, at Stamford Bridge. A meeting that turned to the advantage of the Spaniards since they won (3-1), thanks to a hat-trick from Karim Benzema. An excellent performance achieved after fasting all day. Besides, he was able to “break” his Ramadan, 13 minutes before kick-off! Bluffing…
| Karim Benzema broke his Ramadan fast just around 13 mins before kick-off and then went on to score a #UCL hat-trick vs Chelsea in 45 mins. Ramadan Kareem just different. #UCL
—Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) April 6, 2022
Benzema, stratospheric
These three goals allow him to total 11 goals in the competition, and to break some records. The 34-year-old (and 108-day-old) striker also became the oldest player to break the 10-goal mark in Europe’s finest competition in a season. He is ahead of Robert Lewandowski, 33 years and 199 days at the time of his 10th goal scored this season, and Ferenc Puskas, 33 years and 47 days. Above all, Karim Benzema has become the most prolific French player in a season in C1. His total allows him to dethrone Just Fontaine, who had scored 10 goals during the 1958-59 season. Only Olivier Giroud, author of 11 goals in C3 during the 2018-19 season, does as well as him.
World Cup goal
In the sequel to the interview with the American men’s magazine EsquireKBNueve spoke about the Blues and the 2022 World Cup. “It’s a real pride for me (to come back) and I’m happy. There is a good adaptation, the level is very high and that’s what I like. Now I want to win a trophy with the French team”, he confided. Although France is in the favorite costume, the former Lyonnais wanted to make some clarifications. “Being a favorite on paper and on the pitch is totally different. At the moment, I don’t know if I will be selected but in any case, playing this tournament would be a dream for me”.
See also: Karim Benzema: his fashion CV during his forced vacation!
Frederic Faussurier