There’s a Karim Benzema in All of Us!

Well, here I am once again starting to write without knowing where I am going. All I know is that when I keep moving and writing and flowing, something decent emerges.

Okay! I think I know what I want to talk about.

If you follow football, I am sure you’re aware of the prestigious Ballon d'Or award.

Messi has won it seven times and Cristiano Ronaldo has lifted the trophy five times.

But I am not going to talk about them today.

It’s someone else this time.

It’s Karim Benzema!

Karim Mostafa Benzema.

But before I start and go on to tell you about this man. I want to state the reason behind sharing this.

“There are times in life when we feel everything is going against us. We feel it’s never going to get better and we are inevitably going to fail. We feel it’s going to be disappointing for everyone who thought we would do something in life.

And it’s absolutely normal to experience such feelings. We are humans, after all.

But should you accept it and give up?

NO! You must keep going.

Because if you accept defeat, the game is over. Right there and then. If you truly want to achieve something meaningful in life, you ought to have faith in yourself, be patient, be good to everyone, respect everyone, have empathy, and learn to refuse to give up even when the world is against you; even when you have been defeated multiple times.”

 Now, here’s what I wanted to talk about Benzema.

On 18 October 2022, Karim Benzema claimed his first Golden Ball, the prestigious Ballon d'Or in Paris after a remarkable 2021-22 season for both club (Real Madrid) and country (France).

But guess what? There’s a tremendous amount of hard work and patience involved in this success.

In 2009, when Real Madrid was signing established superstars right and left in pursuit of La Decima (the 10th UEFA Champions League trophy), Zinedine Zidane advised Real Madrid's president Florentino Perez to bet on young Benzema.

However, his future in Real Madrid was always in doubt. He found himself in a goal drought and that eventually led to him being benched.

There was a time when the entire Real Madrid fan base wanted him sold and replaced. Even when Benzema performed well and supported the team, he fell under the radar and was underappreciated.

Not to mention, he was also suspended from the French national side in 2015.

But the man remained quiet, focused on helping Real Madrid win games and trophies, worked his life out on the pitch, and remained obsessed with collective success.

He could even be seen clapping for his teammates when they won individual awards.

There’s even an old picture of Karim Benzema that speaks volumes about his obsession with collective success and the success of his teammates.

When all the cameras were pointed on Toni Kroos, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, and James Rodriguez basked in glory, Benzema stood in the background, proudly clapping for his teammates.

(Look at his smile. He's genuinely happy for them.)

Today, Benzema is no longer an associate, HE IS THE KINGPIN.

Karim Benzema rose like a phoenix and became a goal-scoring machine. He started scoring the toughest of goals. All Benzema needed was a chance, rather, half a chance, and if no one would create that chance or assist him, he’d create one himself and score.

A player of his profile is indeed rare — creative and prolific. He is calm, composed, poised, and has a stealthy character.  

And after all these years of hard work and patience, Karim Mostafa Benzema at age 34 recorded his best-ever goal-scoring season with 44 goals in 46 appearances and bagged the Ballon d'Or 2022 award, becoming the first Frenchman to do so since Zinedine Zidane did in 1998.

And guess what? He’s also the most decorated French player of all time.

Fun Fact: Karim Benzema sustained a finger injury in 2019. And since then, he has been playing with a bandage on his hand. He wraps it around his hand before every match to protect his fractured finger. He never underwent surgery because it would leave him out of games for 2 months.

From being booed to being worshipped, Karim Benzema has witnessed almost everything in life.

He isn’t blessed. Whatever he is today, it’s all because of the hard work he has been doing on and off the pitch.

And I am sure, there’s a Karim Benzema in all of us.

For those who are working hard in silence, good things might take a little time but they do happen. Just hang in there. Keep doing your good work. Keep working, GENUINELY, for whatever you want to achieve. 

....................................................................................................................................................

Follow me on Medium:

I am starting a newsletter on Substack and I am going to share some legit information on content marketing, side hustle, and money-making ideas. Do subscribe:

If you want to see what else I do in life, do give me a follow on Instagram: