Wednesday evening, Helsinki and Finland will be the scene of the battles between the winner of the Champions League and the Europa League. A stylish opposition between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt, two clubs with very different European CVs. If the Spanish club hopes to afford its fifth European Supercup, the German club aspires to win the first in its history. If it is very unlikely that they will all start for this duel, the French of Real could play a crucial role in the quest for this new title.
>> Football: these French people who marked the history of Real Madrid
Because since last season, Real has reconnected more deeply with the love story that binds it to French football, its stars or its nuggets in the making. If it seems unlikely to find a titular Habs in an environment already well occupied by Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro – even if Eduardo Camavinga could create a surprise – there is one for whom doubt is excluded: Karim Benzema.
The Madrid top scorer and captain, who literally carried Real to the Champions League final last season, should jump at this new opportunity to make an impression.
⏳ #SuperCup ⏳ pic.twitter.com/L06ykAthji
— Real Madrid CF (@realmadrid) August 10, 2022
If he shines against Frankfurt, the French international, author, among other things, of scoring hat-tricks against PSG in the knockout stages of the Champions League and against Chelsea in the quarterfinals, will add new arguments in this column of “for” that he becomes the Ballon d’Or in two months. He would then be the second Frenchman after Raymond Kopa in 1958 to receive the supreme award with the merengue jersey.
In the middle, the two tricolor nuggets, Eduardo Camavinga, who arrived from Rennes last year and Aurélien Tchouaméni, a Monegasque revelation recruited this summer by Madrid, who is expected at least on the bench, could bring their stone to the building against at Einstracht as luxury supersubs. In defense, left-back Ferland Mendy, who will have to fight to keep his place this season, could start him in the starting lineup.
Four French at Real, therefore. We had only experienced this once before. It was not so long ago during the 2019-2020 season: Karim Benzema and Ferland Mendy were already there, accompanied by Raphaël Varane in defense (now at Manchester United) and Alphonse Areola then third goalkeeper (now at West Ham). That season, Real were crowned La Liga champions, after two seasons of drought, and won the Spanish Super Cup.