Benzema is no longer Mourinho’s ‘pussycat’
Taking on leadership of the team since Ronaldo’s exit has lifted the Real Madrid striker’s goalscoring to a higher level
He is the loner who became a leader. The “bad boy” who turned into an inspired mentor. The “pussycat”, as Jose Mourinho labelled him, who is now the undisputed king of the Bernabeu jungle.
“He gets better every day… like wine,” said Carlo Ancelotti, the Real Madrid manager, when asked to sum up Karim Benzema, the bookmakers’ favourite to beat Mohamed Salah to the Ballon d’or and the main obstacle to Liverpool’s seventh European Cup.
Benzema’s 44 goals in 45 games have helped Real reclaim La Liga, but there is the chance now to match Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally of five individual Champions League titles. Two more goals and he would equal Ronaldo’s Champions League record of 17 for a single season.
So, what changed? How did a player who scored between 13 and 28 goals in six seasons from 2012 to 2018 suddenly add 141 across four seasons after turning 30?
There are multiple theories. Arsene Wenger, who tried to bring him to Arsenal in 2014, specifically highlights his physical condition – “I would say, until 30, he had two or three kilos too many”
– and then there is the correlation with Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus in 2018.
Benzema, himself, has suggested that the knock-on impact was essentially tactical. “At Lyon, I was the finisher, and the finisher here was Ronaldo; I played another role with him,” he said. “You had the rocket, which was [Gareth] Bale, the goalscorer, which was Cristiano, and then you had me who would be between them, the one that made it all work.”
It is a convincing theory but, for many of those who know Benzema best, there is something more. It is how Benzema, the man, has thrived amid the added responsibility.
“Every day he becomes an even better leader and feels more how important he is for the team and club,” said Ancelotti. “He has a stronger personality now.”
Ancelotti’s insight is especially telling given his previous experience of working with Benzema alongside Ronaldo and, to find the true essence of Benzema, the starting point remains the eastern suburbs of Lyon. It was, to use Ancelotti’s original analogy, where the grapes were first harvested back in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
When you type “Bron Terraillon” into a search engine, it is quickly followed by the word “chaud”. This translates as “hot” or “dangerous” and reflects the social challenges that surrounded his childhood.
Benzema grew up in a house where he was the sixth of nine children. He was soon obsessed with a ball – whether in the house, on the streets, or against a low wall at SC Bron Terraillon Perle, his first club.
A willingness to practice, often alone, for long hours helped him to stand apart but there were worries that his progression could be stunted by surrounding influences. Lyon signed a nine-yearold Benzema to their academy and quickly offered him their own accommodation. “They did it for his protection,” said Frederic Rigolet, one of his first coaches. It was a partial success. He came to thrive in their first team, winning four league titles, but a potential move to Barcelona was reportedly hampered in 2008 by concerns over some of his off-field influences.
And what should have been a glorious international career with France has been overshadowed by a glaring five-year absence and his conviction – despite his denials – for “complicity” in the alleged attempt to blackmail Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape. His appeal following a suspended one-year prison sentence is expected to be heard next month.
Benzema did finally return to the national team last year, noting when asked to compare his talents to Olivier Giroud – France’s World Cup-winning centre forward – that it was like contrasting a Formula One car with a go-kart.
No prizes for guessing who he thought belonged in F1 and, on recent form, few would disagree. His partnership with 21-year-old Vinicius Junior has been a particular joy. “I didn’t teach Vinicius football,” said Benzema. “The difference is that he now makes the right decisions. He thinks. This is what I taught him.”
Vinicius himself sounds almost star-struck when asked about Benzema and stresses that he is a “great person” who has “always given me support and confidence”.
Graham Hunter, the Spanish football expert, says this season “surpasses anything he has produced during his career”.
Mourinho, whose “pussycat” reference dated back to 2010, evidently agrees. “I love him,” he said. “He thinks about football, about winning and about being a legend with that club … which he already is.”