Benzema: "We left our mark on a whole era and we’ll leave our mark on another one"

Madrid announced on Friday the renewal of Karim Benzema as a Real Madrid player until 2023. The Frenchman, since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, is the team's star player and has earned this contract extension.

In an interview with the club's official media channels, the striker acknowledged his happiness at the agreement and recalled the time when they won three Champions League titles in a row, four in five years.

“I’m proud of my career and proud to be renewing my contact here and to be staying on at this club, which for me, as I’ve always said, is the best in the world. I’m going to keep on working and enjoying myself because every day here is all about the enjoyment for me. It is a dream for me and every day I am lucky to be able to live this dream as a reality," he said.

He also reviewed his journey as a Real Madrid player: "My parents and my agent telephoned me and told me to go round to their house. I didn’t want to go and when I arrived, I saw Florentino, the man who brought Zizou, Ronaldo and the 'Galácticos' to the club. I just looked at him and was speechless. All that he asked me is if I wanted to play for Madrid and I said that I did. When I look back on what I’ve achieved with Madrid, it makes me very proud."

 

August 20, 2021

“Madrid will always remain the best team in the world, but I think that in the era when we won the Champions League we were a team that, I wouldn’t say that we were unbeatable, but to win the Champions League four times is a special achievement. It’s very difficult to win it and we managed it three times in a row. We left our mark on a whole era with that team and we’ll leave our mark on another one in the future."

He also wanted to take individual credit for himself and stressed the importance of enjoying himself: “I don’t look at the statistics. I just enjoy myself out on the pitch. I’m really happy when I score goals, provide assists and do things that please the fans. I’ll obviously look back on them when I retire, but I’m just enjoying myself every day, in training and the games, because you play for Real Madrid to rewrite the history books."

He did not forget his current coach, Carlo Ancelotti, the one who started this glorious legacy with the 'Tenth'. “He’s a great coach. Nobody has any doubts about that. He just asks me to play my game. We chat before training to see how I’m feeling and discuss whether I have to do anything different on the pitch. It all depends on the relationship between the player and the coach, but I feel good playing under him," he underlined.

Finally, he analysed his physical condition at the age of 33: “I really look after myself at home and even more so at work. I watch what I eat and do other things in the gym. They’re small details that allow you to then go out and do things on the pitch and in training as well."

 

August 20, 2021