Don Karim: The people's champion
Inevitable but still great to see.
On Monday, the people won. For the last 15 years or so, Uefa and Fifa have recognised Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the best players in the world. There has been the odd player to disrupt their run. Examples include Frank Ribery and Luka Modric, winning the Uefa best player and Balon d'Or respectively. Despite that, Messi and Ronaldo have reigned supreme over the sport, accomplished basically everything and have ultimately destroyed the metric by which the trophy is won. Karim Benzema winning this year’s award is essentially realigning the Balon d’Or with what it’s supposed to be; not an award heavily decided by statistics, but an award that gives equal weight to many variables and I believe this win is one of the most unanimous in the history of the prestigious award.
No one in the history of sports has defeated father time. Although we appreciate the greatness of Messi and Ronaldo, age 35 and 38 respectively, it is time to look beyond the nostalgia and recognise the baller that is Karim Benzema. He’s been a bad boy from early. He is one of few wonderkids to truly fulfil his potential. Albeit understandable, Karim has often been overshadowed in his career by his compatriots in the game- the likes of Luis Suarez, Robert Lewandowski, Kun Aguero and even Harry Kane to an extent. They would score more goals than him year in, year out so the common rhetoric around his name is that he could not sit at the table of Europe’s elite number 9s. Context is so important in this case. A selfless link man with the touch of Berbatov and the grace of Zidane …he easily has the ability to score 30 goals a season but he adapted his game, not just for the team or to push the greatness of Ronaldo but to pursue something even greater…legacy. He understood the value of sacrifice quicker than most and that is why he was a mainstay in a club that often looks to replace and not maintain. The resumé cannot be questioned. He has inspired many to play like him and provided a clear archetype for teams looking for no.9 in his mould.
By sacrificing so much of his game for the team, Real Madrid went on to win 4 champions leagues in 5 years with Ronaldo, Benzema and Gareth Bale spearheading the attack. This is the epitome of a team player. Back then, Benz was the supporting act but now he’s grabbing headlines like Drake. He is the main man for the 2nd iteration of a potential Madrid dynasty. Clutch goal after clutch goal, countless man of the match performances - this champions league run was one for the history books. He scored 15 goals in the campaign, only Cristiano and Lewandowski have scored more in a single season. The Benz X Vini duo was cash money just like Shaq and Kobe in their prime- a prolific 1,2 punch. They were smoking on that English pack as they showed the top dog’s in the premier league levels. The English boys thought they could compete with heritage but they got a rude awakening. 5 Champions league’s for a 5-star player. Let’s be frank, just like his wrist, he had this award wrapped up in June after the Champo final. A lot of people didn’t believe…Karim did.
Having been crowned Balon d'Or winner, Karim is now the oldest recipient of the award in 66 years and the first Frenchman to win since his idol and former manager, Zinedine Zidane. A Frenchman breaking records left, right and centre…the feeling is restored. We call that Back to the future. A player banned from playing for the French national side in 2015 for dubious activities has returned 7 years later to his homeland to be lauded as the Best Male Footballer in the world. It’s funny how life works. He credited Brazillian Ronaldo and Zidane in his acceptance speech; he says they were his idols growing up. Well, how your idols become your rivals. He is a galactico in his own right. This is a crowning achievement for a player whose shine was long offset by Ronaldo’s numbers but now he’s set for takeoff to a new stratosphere. He’s now sitting at a table where not even Thierry Henry can sit at. Word to Dave, Karim has been tried in the fire but is still an Ice cold player who has displayed patience and determination to get to where he is today. A kid turned one of the goats. Like Tupac, KB9 is thinking that it’s “All Eyez on me” and he’s right. In the world of football right now, it’s All Eyes on B.
Stay tuned for his next drip video. I would love it….and I think we deserve it.