Armand Garrido: “Benzema was always in the shadow of Ronaldo”

Karim Benzema has finally won the Ballon d’Or award at 34 years old, an age when most players are already starting a decline. This award has been dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo since 2008, with the only exception of Luka Modric in 2018. When Benzema started playing for Real Madrid, he played alongside Ronaldo for eight years, winning four Champions Leagues, two LaLiga titles, and two national cups. His former coach when he was just a boy, Armand Garrido, said that Benzema was always in the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo, and yet he took advantage and learned a lot from him.

The last time Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or was in 2017 when he was still with Real Madrid, and it was his fifth. Benzema won the award on Monday for the first time, after netting a career-high 44 goals and leading Real Madrid to the LaLiga and Champions League doubles. When Benzema and Ronaldo played together, Benzema was often used as a mediator to Ronaldo, taking on the role of his supporter. Since Ronaldo left the team, Benzema has been able to step out of the shadow of Ronaldo and into the limelight.

“Just playing with Cristiano Ronaldo put him in the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo,” said Garrido. “But at the same time, he learned a lot from Cristiano Ronaldo. He learned from his way of working, of training, and of leading a healthy lifestyle.”

It would seem Ronaldo was actually holding Benzema back from achieving his full potential. When Ronaldo left Real Madrid and moved to Juventus, there was concern that Real Madrid would crumble. They were linked to big names like Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, and Erling Haaland, while Benzema quietly proved why they didn’t need any of those big names after all. In the 2018-19 season, Benzema netted 30 goals in all competitions, and in the last campaign, broke his own record by a long shot with 44 goals in 46 appearances. Benzema still manages to provide plenty of assists while also being the main goalscorer for Real Madrid. Despite being in Ronaldo’s shadow, Benzema always had great respect for his teammate and vice versa.

“Ronaldo knows he is my idol. There was no striker like him. What he did on the pitch was impossible to repeat. He’s history, he’s the only striker that if I was on the bench and he was starting, I wouldn’t say anything. It’s an impossible level to reach. He’s history, not just for me, but for all strikers,” Benzema said.

Benzema now sets his sights on winning the World Cup with France.