Benzema posts enigmatic message: “I arrived alone”

“I arrived alone.” That is the enigmatic message shared by Karim Benzema, accompanied by a photograph in which he appears leaning on a luxury car and looking at his mobile, in the midst of the controversy that The Best award has sparked.

Benzema post linked to FIFA’s Best ‘snub’

The current Ballon d’Or winner saw how Lionel Messi, driven by his sensational World Cup triumph with Argentina, snatched an award that, before the Qatari event, seemed to already have an owner. His 44 goals, 15 assists and team victories with Real Madrid (LaLiga, Champions League as well as Spanish and European Super Cups) did not help him outvote the award given to the Argentine star by FIFA.

The controversy behind the vote results has generally come from the Spanish capital, or supporters of Los Blancos, but given that all national team coaches and captains had their say, along with journalists and fans, it’s hard to point any fingers. Lazy voting potentially being the only fair accusation. It’s also not true to say he was ignored, he just got a few less votes than the guy who caught the global imagination with a swan song World Cup win.

Alaba’s alibi

One example of concern was the choice of David Alaba who, as Austrian captain, voted for Lionel Messi first, followed by Benzema and Kylian Mbappé. The stir caused by not picking a club teammate (surely this ‘loyalty’ voting is the biggest issue in these awards) saw the Madrid defender feel the need to justify himself.

“Regarding FIFA The Best Award: The Austrian national team vote for this award as a team, not me alone. Everyone in the team council is able to vote and that’s how it’s decided. Everyoe knows, especially Karim, how much I admire him and his performances and I have often said that for me his the best striker in the world, and that is still the case. Without doubt.” Alaba’s, then, was a collective vote.

Benzema has enigmatic form

Benzema’s latest post may be simply anecdotal, but it is still intriguing in the context in which it takes place. It is not the first time that a Karim publication felt aligned to a bigger story.

When Mbappé decided to renew for PSG, Madrid’s number nine shared a snapshot in which his idolized Tupac appeared, together with a friend who later betrayed him. The post appeared in the heat of waves due to Mbappé's decision, but Benzema himself explained in an interview with ‘La Sexta’ that his intention was not to send any message.

“It’s not against Mbappé or anyone, it’s because I love Real Madrid, it is the best club in the world and it is more important than everything. It is not a story of betrayal. On my instagram I have fifteen photos of Tupac, it has nothing to do with football, they are things from the internet and I am in reality”.

Be that as it may, the post, like the one cited in the middle of Hurricane Mbappé, already has people talking. For those that prefer seeing the Frenchman on the pitch rather than social media, he’s next appearing at the Santiago Bernabéu, in the small matter of a Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against... eternal rivals Barcelona! A clásico awaits.