MADRID, 17 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
French striker Karim Benzema acknowledged that it was “a real pride” to have received the Ballon d’Or for the 2021-2022 season on Monday, “a child’s dream” that has come to him at the age of 34, proof that “there is no lower your arms” and to “have it very clear”.
“Having this trophy in front of me is a source of pride. I remember when I was little and it really was a child’s dream, all the work in training and I always had this award in mind and I had the motivation to win it like my two idols, Zidane and Ronaldo (Nazario), said Benzema after receiving the award.
The one from Lyon stressed that “behind everything there is a lot of work” and that “we have to keep that dream” because he went through “very hard times”. “It hasn’t always been all positive, I also want to think about the times when I wasn’t in the national team and when I never stopped working,” he added.
“My coaches told me to keep training and playing and that one day I could win the Ballon d’Or. I’m proud of my career, there have been difficult times, hard times for my family too, and I’ve had to be mentally strong. I’m very happy and I’m going to continue doing my job”, assured the Real Madrid captain.
He thanked his “companions” from Real Madrid and the French national team, Carlo Ancelotti, and his “great president”, a Florentino Pérez who is almost one of his “family” because he went to his house to sign him. “He showed what kind of person he is and he has all my respect”, he underlined, not forgetting Olympique de Lyon, his first club and the one who could not have “reached Real Madrid”.
“This is an individual award, but it is still a collective one for me, it is the Ballon d’Or of the people, of all the people and all the fans,” continued the Frenchman, who believes that this trophy “is in the minds of all footballers.” “It’s very difficult to win it, but not impossible,” he admitted.
The madridista recalled that he is not only thinking “of scoring goals”. “I really like to have fun, help my teammates and that was how I played when I was little, all you had to do was play on the same team”, recalled Benzema.
After becoming the oldest player to win the Ballon d’Or, he warned that “there is no age to win this trophy”. “There are players who show that after turning 30 you can continue competing at the highest level, you just have to have a lot of desire and work hard. You don’t have to lower your arms and have it very clear in your head, that’s what has motivated me to have the ambition, but above all to have fun on the pitch”, he explained.
Finally, the forward had words for Ronaldo Nazario, present at the gala and one of his idols along with Zinédine Zidane. “His is impossible to do, it’s history, if he’s on my team I sit on the bench without saying anything. He has an incredible level, like Zidane, he’s the phenomenon of all strikers,” he said.
