Karim Benzema has announced where he will retire after winning the Ballon d’Or for the first time in his career in 2022. The Frenchman has insisted that he would retire at Real Madrid.
The Frenchman received the prestigious honor of winning the Ballon d’Or as a result of his outstanding performance this past year, during which he scored 44 goals across all competitions.
The 34-year-old was essential to Madrid’s triumph in the LaLiga and the Champions League in May.
Despite suffering a few injuries in the early part of the season, Karim Benzema has maintained his impressive play throughout the 2022–23 campaign, scoring five goals in ten games across all leagues thus far.
Karim Benzema says he will retire at Real Madrid
Karim Benzema finished the 2021–22 season at Real Madrid with 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions. This season, despite a muscular ailment, he has five goals in 10 games.
The seasoned striker has now promised to play out the remainder of his career with the LaLiga powerhouses.
“I’m going to retire at Real Madrid. For me, there isn’t any other choice”, Benzema told Spanish radio station Onda Cero.
Karim Benzema says he is proud of his Real Madrid experience. The French striker also said he is in the good physical condition right now and would like to continue playing football if he can. If not, he will see what will happen, but for the time being, he is content at Real Madrid.
After Erling Braut Haaland and Kylian Mbappe’s unsuccessful summer transfers to Real Madrid, Benzema began a new campaign as the team’s first-choice striker.
Karim Benzema originally moved to Los Blancos as a 21-year-old in 2009 for £35 million from French club Lyon, and he has since played a crucial role in the team’s success over the past ten years.
His current deal is set to end in 2023, but given his recent success in becoming the seventh Real Madrid player to win the illustrious accolade, he may be granted another extension.
The France international is set to become a free agent at the end of the current campaign, but after recently extending his terms through 2021, it is widely anticipated that he will sign a new contract at the Bernabeu.
For Madrid, Benzema has appeared in 615 games and scored 328 goals.
Between 1997 and 2009, Benzema spent a total of 12 years at Lyon before departing for Madrid. Gones president Jean-Michel Aulas praised the striker’s “wonderful narrative” after the player won the Ballon d’Or.
Karim Benzema ranks sixth on Real Madrid’s all-time appearance list, trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo (450) in terms of goals scored, and is still far from approaching Raul’s 741 appearance record.
The Frenchman has won 23 major awards with Real Madrid, including five Champions Leagues and four La Liga championships. He was also named the UEFA Best Men’s Player for 2022.
