The current Ballon d'Or leaves Real Madrid an orphan of its football. Ancelotti's team loses its best scorer, author of 31 goals this season, nine of them from penalties. The last one this Sunday –also from eleven meters (1-1)– at the Bernabéu, which fired Karim Benzema after 14 years with full honours. In the 73rd minute, just after beating Unai Simón, the Frenchman was replaced by Modric. And the stands stood up to applaud him and say goodbye. He, moved, also returned the palms as a gesture of thanks. When he arrived at the band he hugged his technician for the detail of offering him this impromptu tribute. With the final whistle, his teammates kept him in the center of the field.
"It is a legend. It has been a pleasure playing with him. He has won to decide his future ”, Courtois dedicated to him. On Tuesday, in an institutional act with Florentino Pérez, Benzema will explain his reasons.
It was hardly a French farewell. And it is that Benzema, 35, was able to say goodbye to the fans of the Santiago Bernabeu for a matter of hours, because there were less than seven hours left when at 11:53 this Sunday the club made an official statement explaining that the two parties had " agreed to put an end to his brilliant and unforgettable period”. Not even three days had elapsed since the footballer himself denied the rumors of a possible march to Saudi Arabia, which tempted him with a million-dollar offer. "The Internet is not reality," he said Thursday at an award ceremony. But the river made noise because it carried water.
Precisely, Athletic, the rival in the last day, is the rival who had scored the most times. He did it again for the twentieth time. It was to tie the 0-1 with which Sancet had put the Basques ahead. Yuri jumped and the arm hit Militão's face and Díaz de Mera signaled the maximum penalty. No one had any doubts who was going to kick it... and transform. Benzema did not fail and that led to the final tribute from the Bernabeu. The equalizer saved the runner-up spot for the whites.
Karim Benzema's hasty goodbye, who had one more year agreed upon precisely because of the France Football award, is a symbol of the times. There was a time when Madrid threw in the rest to accumulate players who had Ballon d'Ors: Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo, Owen, Cannavaro... Now they don't keep them. Cristiano left him and now Benzema. The League that comes only Modric will be able to boast of that honor.
In 2009, Florentino Pérez returned to the presidency. That summer he undertook four transfers of more than 30 million. Kaká left in 2013, Xabi Alonso endured six seasons and left with a European Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo wore nine courses in white and lifted four Champions League. In the end, none succeeded as much as Benzema, the youngest of the four, the one who played the least that year with Pellegrini – barely 18 starts. Contrary to what was expected at the time, the Frenchman remained at the Bernabeu for 14 seasons and is one of the members of the exclusive group of players who have won five Champions League titles with Madrid.
Benzema is the foreigner who has worn the Madrid shirt the most times and with 648 games, with yesterday's, he leaves as the fifth footballer who has played the most games in the white house, only surpassed by Raúl, Casillas, Manolo Sanchís and Sergio Ramos, whom he would have overtaken, if he had stayed, playing 24 more games.
In all this time, Benzema, author of 354 goals, has guaranteed almost a goal every two games. The Bernabéu from hating it to adore it. Everything changed in 2018 with Cristiano's slamming the door. In the five seasons without the Portuguese, he has always scored more than 25 goals. Especially in his splendid campaign in 21-22, in which he led Madrid to win the Champions League, the League and the Super Cup with his 44 goals, which earned him the Ballon d'Or.
Karim Benzema's was the fourth departure known at Real Madrid in the last 48 hours: Asensio, Mariano and Hazard. The four are forwards, men on the attack front, where only the two Brazilians remain: Vinícius and Rodrygo. Madrid needs to look for strikers in the market.
Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Nacho, Rüdiger; Camavinga (Tchouaméni, m.58), Kroos, Ceballos (Marco Asensio, m.58 (Lucas Vazquez, m.91)); Rodrigo, Vinicius and Benzema (Modric, m.74).
Athletic Club: Unai Simón; De Marcos, Vivian, Paredes, Yuri; Ander Herrera, Vesga (Vencedor, m.67); Iñaki Williams (Zarraga, m.64), Sancet (Muniain, m.77), Nico Williams (Berenguer, m.64); Cross (Raúl García, d.77).
Goals: 0-1, m.49: Sancet. 1-1, m.72: Benzema from a penalty.
Referee: Diaz de Mera. (Castilian-Manchego Committee). He admonished Ceballos (55) and Carvajal (85) for Real Madrid; and Sancet (57) and Yuri (71) for Athletic.
Incidents: match corresponding to the thirty-eighth day of LaLiga Santander played at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium before 60,781 spectators. Basketball Real Madrid offered fans the recently won Euroleague
