Real Madrid News
Video: Benzema’s response to Ancelotti after being taken off against Chelsea: “I’m fine”
Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second-leg clash came at a cost of Karim Benzema’s injury.
The Frenchman, who was key to Madrid’s triumph in their 4-0 aggregate win, was taken off by manager Carlo Ancelotti in the 71st minute, replacing him with his fellow national, Aurelien Tchouameni.
As it turns out, Benzema’s substitution was not a tactical one. Instead, the star forward was taken off as a precautionary measure as he was stomped earlier in the game. “Karim had a blow, a stomp on his foot, it started to bother him at the end and we changed him,” said the manager.
Now, the extent of Benzema’s injury is still unknown but Madrid can take a huge sigh of relief knowing that the forward was actually feeling fine during the game. As captured by Movistar+, the veteran forward actually told Ancelotti that he was fine while coming off the field.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” said the striker. To which the manager said, “Alright alright. Relax.”
😦 "Estoy bien, estoy bien…"
— Fútbol en Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarFutbol) April 19, 2023
🤨 Benzema siempre quiere más… y así se lo hizo saber a Ancelotti al ser sustituido. #DeportePlus pic.twitter.com/o64EtjpyOZ
Considering Benzema’s issues with injury this season, having already missed more than 10 games due to several problems, this does complicate a few things for Madrid mostly because the games will now be coming thick and fast.
Now that a place in the semi-final is secured, their focus will now move to the upcoming home league game against Celta Vigo.
Given Madrid’s position in La Liga, one might expect Ancelotti to rest his star forward as within a span of two days, they travel to Estadi Montilivi to take on Girona.
Three days after the aforementioned away game, Almeria pay a visit to Santiago Bernabeu before Real Sociedad entertain Los Blancos on May 2.
Considering the line of fixtures, the manager is rightly expected to be cautious with Benzema so that he can be ready for the Copa del Rey final against Osasuna on May 6.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia has triggered a wave of massive establishment within the country so much so that the league has approached players like Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Sergio Ramos and even Karim Benzema.
Benzema’s departure from Real Madrid is imminent and if a report from Diaro AS is to be believed, the Frenchman contacted his former Madrid teammate, Ronaldo, to ask him for information about the Saudi league, living conditions and other teams.
All this because it is said that the legendary Frenchman has received a lucrative offer from the newly crowned Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad. As reported before, the star striker will earn more than €100 million per year across his two-year contract with the Saudi team.
At the moment, the Saudi government has approved all of Benzema’s requests and while it is said that he can join the team of his choice, Al Ittihad’s recent flirting had made them absolute favourites.
That said, the transfer may have taken a u-turn recently, as Benzema spoke about staying at Real Madrid for the foreseeable future.
“Speak to the fans? Speak about what? Why should I speak of the future if I’m in Madrid?”, Benzema said.
“It’s the internet speaking, and reality is not the internet.”
In a recent turn of events, Helder Costa openly spoke about Benzema’s arrival, saying that his team is ‘excited about the arrival of the Balon d’Or winner.’ As if that is not enough, a club fan also showed a Karim Benzema edit on the big screen during their title celebrations.
Meanwhile, since the transfer is not confirmed, Real Madrid continue to be uninformed of Benzema’s decision. And this remains a major problem for the team from the capital city as their summer transfer plan hinges on the continuity of the Frenchman.
At the moment, the team is said to be closing in on the signing of Joselu from Espanyol. However, it must be noted that the forward will only be arriving on a season-long loan as Madrid already have big plans for the summer of 2024, with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe both lined up.
