Karim Benzema, who won the 2022 Ballon d’or, has made some revelations about his motivations for the game and idols. Benzema was voted the best player in the world, ahead of former Liverpool and Senegalese forward Sadio Mané. Benzema helped Madrid to win 4 trophies this year with his 44 goals and 15 assists in the entire of last season.
In his statement, the 34-year-old said age is just a number, and he could remember how this began from childhood.
“It makes me proud to have this trophy in front of me. I remember when I was younger, all the work and training. It was a child’s dream, and I always had this award in mind. I was motivated to win it by two idols: Zidane and Ronaldo [Nazario]. It’s a prize that all footballers have in mind. Winning it is very complicated, but not impossible. I don’t think only about scoring, but also about having fun on the pitch and helping my teammates”.
“It’s an individual award, but also for the team work and, for me, this is a Ballon d’Or for the people, for everyone and all the fans. Behind all this there is a lot of work, and you’ve got to keep following the dream because sometimes there have been very hard times. Occasionally you have to think about the worst moments, like when I wasn’t part of the national team, but I never stopped working.”
“I am very proud of my career. They were tough times for my family and I had to be mentally strong. I am very satisfied with my work. I would like to thank my teammates at Real Madrid and the National team. Thanks to my coach and my great president, who is like a member of my family because he came personally to my house to sign me and showed what type of person he is. He has all my respect. I also like Lyon and its president because without them, I could not have reached Real Madrid. Thanks also to my family, my parents, who are here today.”
“Age doesn’t matter when it comes to winning this trophy. There are players who show that you can continue competing after 30 years, but you’ve got to have a lot of ambition, desire, and work really hard. You have to work more and have it obvious in your mind & that has motivated me to have more ambition, but above all you have to enjoy yourself on the pitch.”
“Ronaldo [Nazario] knows that he is my idol, he’s my hero and that there is no striker like him. What he did on the pitch was history and impossible to repeat. He is the only striker with whom I would sit on the bench without making any complaint. Both he and Zizou are history. Ronaldo is a phenomenon.”
