Real Madrid: Extra holidays for Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema was the main and most notable absence from Real Madrid’s pre-season training camp this morning. The Frenchman is on special leave and will join up with the squad on 19 July in Los Angeles, giving him a few more days of rest.

International players return to Madrid preseason

Up to six internationals (Modric, Valverde, Alaba, Hazard and the Spaniards Asensio and Carvajal) plus the club’s two new signings (Rüdiger and Tchouaméni) were scheduled to undergo their respective medicals before training. The training session will start at 5:30 pm local time, and Carlo Ancelotti will be able to count on almost all of his players.

Benzema’s absence should come as no surprise. He scored 44 goals in all competitions last season, the top scorer in the three competitions he played in: La Liga (27 goals), Champions League (15) and Spanish Super Cup (he scored two of the five goals that Los Blancos scored in the tournament).

He only failed to score in the Copa del Rey as he did not play a single minute in the competition. The French forward will be the last player to join the squad for preseason.

Ballon d’Or candidate

Despite this absence, Benzema, a clear candidate to win the Ballon d’Or this season, has been training on his own during his holiday period. He was also one of the players who played the most minutes for Madrid last season (3,919 minutes), behind Courtois (4,560), Militao (4,496), Vinicius (4,274) and Alaba (4,069).