Real Madrid News
Real Madrid superstar issues clarification on recent injury troubles: “I was not at 100%”
The criticism over Karim Benzema’s reluctance to play Real Madrid’s final three games before the international break went very far, accusing the player of intentionally missing games to avoid the risk of injury ahead of the World Cup.
The matter got out of hand to such an extent that the Frenchman had to come out on multiple platforms to put out his side of the story.
In his recent interview with L’Equipe too, Benzema came out with a statement justifying his decision to not play for two weeks, citing that he was not at 100%.
“I’m fine. I had small pains, but no tear or big injury. I could play but not 100%. It wasn’t a matter of taking or not taking a risk, It’s just that I was not at 100%. Since then, I have worked well in the gym. I ran, I lay down, so it’s okay. ”
His fear of injury is understandable, given that the FIFA World Cup is an event that comes only once in four years. Benzema has the chance to help his National Team defend their title from the 2018 edition, and playing while not completely fit could have backfired in a plethora of ways.
With the tournament kicking off in less than a week, it appears that the Ballon d’Or winner has still not recovered. Yesterday, he left the training camp in just 15 minutes and did not even touch the ball once owing to his discomfort, although the French camp insisted that it was the plan for the striker.
Didier Deschamps’ men kick off their tournament in just under a week and face Australia as their first opponent. Their biggest competition in the group stage, however, will be Denmark for the Danish side have punched well above their level in recent tournaments.
There is no way back for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. The Belgian international has not given the management any reason to have faith in his abilities over his past four seasons at the club and is unsurprisingly the most important departure for the Merengues in the summer.
Hazard has one more year on his contract in Madrid. However, it is clear that Carlo Ancelotti does not trust him and that any potential replacement manager in the summer will echo his stance.
According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Fenerbahce are willing to go all out to sign Hazard this summer. The Turkish side have made the former Chelsea their prime target, yet face a steep task ahead of them.
The 32-year-old is hellbent on seeing out his contract with Los Blancos despite seeing his career sink right before his eyes. It thus becomes complicated for the party to lure away the forward, especially in a competition outside Europe’s top five leagues.
Fenerbahce attempted to sign the winger in the recently concluded winter transfer market. They reached an agreement with Real Madrid but failed to get over the line as they could not convince the player of the move.
The biggest obstacle for the Turkish side will be convincing Hazard to make the move by letting go of his lucrative contract in Madrid. The chances are slim, but not impossible.
Hazard has made just three league appearances and one start for Ancelotti’s side this season in La Liga, a steep fall from last season’s 18 and seven respectively.
His last appearance for the team came back in January when Real Madrid faced Cacereno in the Copa del Rey. In La Liga however, he last played in September 2022 in a 4-1 win over Mallorca.
