Real Madrid News
National team manager backs Real Madrid superstar for Ballon d’Or award
Every year around September, the world begins its usual debate of who should win the coveted Ballon d’Or. With two to three contenders having a solid claim every year, the decision is far from unanimous.
However, there is not much noise around the contenders for the award presented by France Football presented this season, the reason for it being that there is a clear favourite to take it home, in the form of Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema.
France international team manager Didier Deschamps was asked earlier this week whether Benzema deserved to win the Ballon d’Or this year. As quoted by RMC Sport, he responded,
“Benzema winning Ballon d’Or? He deserves it, I hope he wins it.”
The French striker had an unreal run across all competitions last season and led Real Madrid’s campaign both domestically and in Europe. He found the back of the net a whopping 44 times last season and provided 14 assists in the process.
Earlier this year, he was named ‘The Best Men’s player’ by UEFA for his otherworldly performance and consistency last season. Now, he is clearly the favourite to pick up the Ballon d’Or too.
Benzema’s start to the 2022-23 season has not been ideal. The Frenchman was injured in Real Madrid’s game against Celtic and has missed the team’s last three matches.
It was expected that Real Madrid would struggle without the talisman’s services. However, being the winning machine that they are, Los Blancos have found alternative sources for goals in recent games. Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Federico Valverde, in particular, have stepped on the gas and made up for Benzema’s absence.
Nevertheless, Carlo Ancelotti will hope to have the striker’s services back soon, especially with a hectic October coming up.
The current edition of the Real Madrid squad is full of young talents, who have shown remarkable potential in recent years.
Arda Guler is among the young players looking to make a mark in European football in the years to come.
The young Turk joined Real Madrid earlier this summer, rejecting many other European giants in the process.
Toni Kroos mentoring Guler at Real Madrid
Guler has not enjoyed the best of starts to his life at Santiago Bernabeu, as he is spending a brief time on the sidelines due to an injury.
However, Guler has not stopped working on his characteristics, as he looks to kickstart his Real Madrid career on a positive note.
To that end, the former Fenerbahce starlet is receiving some key support from one of Real Madrid’s midfield pillars in the form of Toni Kroos.
This is according to MARCA, which suggests that the German international is mentoring Guler in his early days at Santiago Bernabeu.
Kroos: huge ‘sponsor’ of Guler
The report highlights how Toni Kroos is a huge admirer of Arda Guler. The German had even heaped praise on the youngster from Turkey when he joined the club earlier in the summer.
Guler, therefore, is closely training with Kroos, whose years of experience, composure, and knowledge of football, could help the youngster grow at Santiago Bernabeu.
This fits in well with Carlo Ancelotti’s vision at Real Madrid, as the Italian boss wants youngsters to have room to grow, especially with guidance from some of the older guards in the team.
It is one of the key reasons Real Madrid wanted to stick to Kroos and Luka Modric, despite bringing in Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham in the summer.
Guler, therefore, has the stage set for him to start his Real Madrid career on a strong note. After impressing in training, the next step for the youngster is to make a promising debut, which is just around the corner.
