Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward set to be given extra year on extension if he wins Ballon d’Or
Real Madrid have their work cut out during the remainder of the campaign. If the huge gap between them and league leaders Barcelona was not enough, the reigning Spanish champions also have to renew the contracts of several star players in the team.
One of the players is Karim Benzema, whose current contract at Santiago Bernabeu expires at the end of the season. The forward is yet to sign a new deal at the club despite winning the most recent Ballon d’Or.
Although not too many would expect the Frenchman to depart Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season, Real Madrid have appeared quite slow in advancing negotiations.
However, according to MARCA, the Merengue are ready to offer a renewal to Benzema. The forward will be handed a one-year contract until 2024, which will include an option to extend for a further year if the attacker once again wins the Ballon d’Or in 2023.
Benzema made history at the end of last year when he became the first French player since Zinedine Zidane to win the coveted award. He was also the second player after Luka Modric to win the Ballon d’Or apart from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi since 2007.
However, the veteran forward has had difficulties with injuries this season, missing a chunk of the league matches. Although his performances have been quite impressive, his lack of participation has often forced coach Carlo Ancelotti to deploy Rodrygo in the number nine.
Nevertheless, Real Madrid are convinced of Benzema’s quality and his ability to sustain his performances at the top level for another year, if not two.
But it is worth mentioning that the Spanish giants are on the lookout for a new striker that can replace Benzema in the long run. They have earmarked Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus, but it will not come as a surprise to see the club approach other options in the market as well.
Real Madrid are blessed to have the services and loyalty of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. The duo have run the show in the Merengues’ midfield for close to a decade and continue to deliver flawless performances to date.
Of the two, however, it is the Croatian who deserves the higher credit. The veteran is now 37 years of age, yet dominates the middle of the park with grace and poise like none other.
Stephen Estuaqio, an FC Porto player and Canada International, spoke earlier this week about why he considered Luka Modric to be a special player and compared him with Kevin de Bruyne to support his stance.
“I played against De Bruyne, but I ran behind Modrić. I couldn’t play against him. It’s crazy how he dictates the game and controls everything. It was a lesson for me,” he said on The 90th minute on Youtube.
With his contract running out next season, Real Madrid are looking to renew his deal by one year come June. Yet, it is difficult to see him continue beyond next season and his imminent departure will mark the end of an era at the club.
Thus, Modric could be an altered role come next season. With a young midfielder, possibly Jude Bellingham set to arrive, the veteran could move into a mentorship role with the occasional appearance in big games.
This season, however, Carlo Ancelotti will continue to use him as one of the backbones of the side and deploy the maestro in the must-win fixtures coming up later this month.
At 37 years of age, Modric has started 16 La Liga games over 24 appearances this season in the competition. He has scored four goals and provided three assists in that process in addition to creating eight big chances with an average of 1.8 key passes per game.
