Real Madrid News
Karim Benzema backed to win the Ballon d’Or by Barcelona superstar
On 17th October 2022, the world of football will finally know the next official winner of the prestigious Ballon d’Or. The award will be presented by France Football in Paris, and local hero and Real Madrid captain Karim Benzema is the favourite to walk away with the honour.
There seems to be little debate over the Frenchman’s claim for the award as he seems set to win it by a record margin. Unsurprisingly, several pundits have placed their money on Benzema with there being no direct competitor.
In a recent clip on Movistar via Samuel Marsden, Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski was seen giving his two cents on this year’s Ballon d’Or and cheekily mentioned the condition on which Benzema would win it.
“Benzema is probably one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or, if they don’t cancel it, then probably he will win it, yes.”
The Pole’s statement comes in light of his missed chance with the individual award two years ago. Lewandowski was the undisputed favourite to win the award in 2020 but France Football cancelled the award owing to the COVID pandemic.
Lionel Messi’s Copa America triumph saw him walk away with the award in 2021 and the Barcelona striker had to settle for second place despite having a record-breaking season again at his former club Bayern Munich.
Benzema and Lewandowski will face off against each other in the weekend’s Clasico as Barcelona and Real Madrid fight it out for the top spot on the league standings. Both teams currently sit on level points and will fight tooth and nail to steal three points from their arch-rivals’ camp.
Before he was hired by Bayern Munich as the direct replacement for Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel was closely linked with a move to Real Madrid at the end of the season.
The German tactician had kept a close eye on the development at Santiago Bernabeu, especially with coach Carlo Ancelotti facing immense pressure following the club’s poor performances in domestic competitions.
A recent report from Jorge Picon has offered more details on the Tuchel saga, suggesting that the coach was even learning Spanish during his time at Ibiza, anticipating a potential move to Real Madrid at the end of the season.
There were even contacts made between Tuchel’s entourage and Real Madrid. Although the talks were positive, the two sides were not able to reach an agreement.
Real Madrid did not guarantee him the job. They had informed Tuchel that Ancelotti may continue at the Bernabeu in the event the club win the UEFA Champions League this season.
This bit of uncertainty played a critical role in convincing Tuchel to join Bayern Munich instead. The former Chelsea boss was hired as a direct replacement for Nagelsmann, who was sacked after a poor season in the Bundesliga by the club’s high standards.
However, Tuchel’s move to Bayern appears to be a missed opportunity on the German’s part, as Real Madrid have recently intensified their search for a new manager.
It is clear that the club’s hierarchy is yet to reach a consensus over the future of Ancelotti, with some believing that a change is necessary come the end of the season. In fact, the club’s president Florentino Perez has been an admirer of Tuchel’s compatriot Nagelsmann.
The coaching prodigy is one of the candidates to replace Ancelotti in the summer, though it is Mauricio Pochettion who is reportedly leading the race so far.
