Two exciting months lie ahead for Karim Benzema

Carletto knows perfectly well that when he is fit, Karim is still by far his most decisive player. It’s inevitable that the French striker will be flitting in and out of the side, those periods of rest are carefully controlled by Real Madrid’s medical staff - just like they are measured for all 23 members of the first team squad. Benzema is fundamental, but it is no longer necessary for him to play every game and Ancelotti is fully aware of that. The key is that he is able to be called on during those occasions when the team starts to notice his absence. One glaring example of that from last season was the disastrous Clásico at the Bernabéu. Ancelotti made a mental note of that and is not going to take any more risks in the future. If the recent derby at the Cívitas had been a final, they would surely have forced Benzema to play. But it was just one more league game and what Ancelotti wants is for Karim to be at his best on 16 October against Barça in the next Clásico...

Karim has also learned to apply the handbrake himself when appropriate and thus has saved himself from taking part in two games for France that would have been of no use to him either, as Deschamps’ team has already run out of options in the Nations League. He knows that between 16 October and 18 December he will have two crucial months to crown his career for posterity. On 16 October he hopes to be the MVP of the Clásico and just 24 hours later he will receive his first Ballon d’Or in Paris. And a month later, in Qatar, he has the opportunity to win what would be his first World Cup with those Bleus who, due to painful circumstances, have kept him out of the picture for several years. Karim dreams of conquering Qatar in the final on 18 December and celebrating it the next day with his 35th birthday. That would be prestige for him, for France and for Madrid.