Karim Benzema’s finger without bandage, the other curiosity of the Ballon d’Or

It is a rarity to which only the most curious have paid attention. Monday, at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Karim Benzema lifted his Ballon d’Or with his ten fingers. And none of them were hidden by a bandage. For almost three years now, the Real Madrid striker has been wearing an imposing bandage in each of his matches to protect the little finger of his right hand.

To find the origin of this injury, we must go back to January 13, 2019, the day the Merengue club faced Betis. During this meeting, the tricolor international fractured his little finger when receiving, after a tackle from a Sevillian defender. To patch up his little finger, “KB9” must undergo an operation after which he will have to observe a long period of convalescence. Up to three months.

But at that time, Real Madrid was going through a difficult period. Under the leadership of Santiago Solari, who arrived in a hurry after the failure of Julen Lopetegui, the Madrid club had disappointing results in the first part of the season. Losing Karim Benzema for several weeks would have further complicated the task of the Argentine coach.

We don’t think it’s a problem for him to practice his profession as a footballer

The former midfielder therefore decides to send a message to his striker. “Karim has this finger injury, as you know, but we think it’s not a problem for him to practice his profession as a footballer, neither this weekend nor next Wednesday.“, he slips in a press conference. Message received: the attacker postpones the operation, with the risks that this implies for the use of his little finger.

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The Frenchman’s decision won’t allow the Casa Blanca to avoid a white season. But the striker will still reach the 30-goal mark in all competitions, reassuring the club’s supporters on his ability to increase his performance after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Since then, Karim Benzema has never played a single game without a bandage on his right hand, in order to limit the risk of an injury which he has already aggravated after other contacts. The leader of Real can no longer stretch his little finger correctly. But who knows if, without this sacrifice, the goalscorer could have reached one of his biggest dreams : lift the Ballon d’Or. With his ten fingers. One of which is damaged.

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