Karim Benzema Ballon d’Or – “At our first meeting, I did not see the obvious”: Benzema, story of a conviction – Eurosport FR

It all started with a match in 1997. At the time, the category was called chicks and roughly corresponded to the U10s. The children of OL face those of Bron in a tournament. A kid, no bigger or stronger than the others, scores four goals against the mini-Gones. This is the beginning of the rich history of Karim Benzema, spotted that day by the big club in his region, twenty-five years before his Ballon d’Or. This story is that of the beginnings of the one who will become the best player in the world. At first, it was not easy. Shy, almost mute, the child with a frail physique is not the one who bursts the screen the most. But by dint of believing in it and, above all, of doing everything to get there, he will crunch his opponents one after the other. This story is that of the revelation of Benzema somewhere between Rhône and Saône.Ballon d’OrAnd now, what place for Benzema in the history of French football?11 HOURS AGOKarim Benzema on his debut in Lyon and in the France team (visual: Quentin Guichard)Credit: Quentin GuichardHowever, everything almost came to an end very quickly. The boarding school at the OL training center was then reserved only for children living more than 30 kilometers away. The Benzema parents’ apartment is only three miles from Tola-Vologe. “His father absolutely wanted to get him out of the neighborhood after the 3rd so I had no choice, I had to make an exception to the rule and I had to convince the director of the center who did not want to hear about it, rewinds Gérard Bonneau , the head of youth recruitment at OL who played a fundamental role in the emergence of KB9. I had said to Karim: ‘Ok, we’ll take you but you mustn’t do anything stupid.’ From 15 to 18, all young people do stupid things, big or small. Him, nothing in three years. His father had framed him and, above all, Karim knew what he wanted. ” At 15, when I see him, he is sluggish, withdrawn Integration at the center is decisive in the success of the one who then does everything possible to achieve his goal: to become a pro. This is the first secret of Karim Benzema’s success: his stubbornness which turns into obsession. “I had never seen a boy with such a project, continues Bonneau. He did everything to succeed by depriving himself of many things. Players with his qualities, there were but, mentally, he had no equivalent to that age. None.” From the age of 15, he lives, breathes, eats and sleeps football. Where the rooms of Tola-Vologe teenagers are lined with cars and singers of all kinds, his is covered with posters of the Brazilian Ronaldo. 5 winners, 7 other podiums… The French and the Ballon d’Or time, his immense determination is not yet enough to distinguish him from the others. Responsible for the floor above, the national U17s, Armand Garrido did not immediately fall under his spell. He tells us: “The first time I saw him, I didn’t see the obvious. He was a talented player but also inside. He played regionally and the U17s I was in charge of played at national level. And I said to myself that what he offered was not enough. He had to give more in the investment during the matches. At 15 years old, when I see him, he is thick, withdrawn. We do not hear him. He observes more than he does. Two actions in an hour, that was not enough. “The shadow of Ben Arfa and a Euro on the bench A frail physique, a lack of speed: some doubt more of him at OL. But the kid has one consistency: he knocks down the goals like hail. Among young people who aspire to find a place among the champions of France, Benzema is not at all the most advanced. Until his professional debut, even more at his 15th birthday and six seasons before joining Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid, he built himself in the shadow of another phenomenon: Hatem Ben Arfa. “Nobody knew Karim at the time, confirms Garrido. Hatem took all the light, the public shouted his name. At that time, the genius was him. He does things that no one has ever done But a year and a half later, the situation has reversed because Karim is completely focused on football. “In the France team, the path is the same. Benzema had to wait for the U17 European Championship in 2004 to join Les Bleuets, while Rémy Riou, Sandy Paillot, Anthony Mounier or… Hatem Ben Arfa, his friends from OL, already had a few international stripes. It was René Girard, then coach of the French U16s, who spotted him at the Montaigu tournament, where Benzema finished top scorer. After giving a soap to the Lyon educators whom they reproach for never having spoken to him about Benzema, Girard passes the pipe to Philippe Bergeroo in full preparation for Euro U17. Today, you’re the stars, but I’m working and I’ll take your place “We were training at Soulac and I needed a striker for my sideline, tells us the coach of the U17s at the time. Karim arrived very shy. I told him: ‘we don’t know each other, you’re going to do the week in training and we’ll see if I take you to the Euros. The same day, I set up an attack session – defense and, at that time, I had an exceptional central defense with those strong (note: Steven Thicot and Karim El-Mourabet). The session started and he tormented them by his movements. The guys were angry, upset and were trying to catch him but it was impossible. His movement management was exceptional, I had never seen a player move in this way. I called him at the end of the session to ask him if he was came with his passport.” At the Euros, the founding moment of the 1987 generation, he only played around twenty minutes but my rque for his entry into play during the first match against Ireland with a sequence of chest control – half-volley which says something about his potential. But, in front of him, the Ménez quartet, Nasri, Ben Arfa and Songo’o are ahead and nail him to the bench for the rest of the competition. “He arrived very late on our radars, perhaps also because he was born in December, at the end of the year, Bergeroo justifies himself today. He did not make jokes like the others but when he said something , he always had an idea behind his head. I remember a speech he had made to others: ‘Today, you are the stars, but I work and I will take your place.’ And today, he passed all the guys who had exploded before him. “A match at Sochaux and everything accelerates After the Euro, it will never be discussed again. Because as he approached his 17th birthday, Benzema changed his morphology, he took on muscle, power and stature, and convinced the skeptics, who were fewer and fewer. A last match will serve as a rocker in his career in Lyon. A trip to Bonal at 16 and a half. Armand Garrido says: “That day, he revealed himself and planted four on the Sochaux lawn. In Lyon, we were arguing over which contract to offer him. I remember Guy Lacombe, who was then coach of the Sochaux first team, looking at the match sheet and wondering aloud on the edge of the sidelines: ‘He doesn’t have a contract?’ I lie, I answer him that the papers should not have arrived at the FFF yet. On the return bus, I warn everyone, the parents, the leaders. I put the pressure and we sign Karim in stride but I can tell you that I slept badly. He suddenly exploded, it went quickly and he surprised everyone.” “It’s true that that day I saw that he had a gift for scoring, confirms Guy Lacombe. We were not quick enough but there, I would have done the deal of the century… Too bad.” Benzema continues in Lyon and joins the professional workforce from the age of 17. A feat as OL unchallengedly dominate the French championship and have one of the densest and most talented squads in Europe. But there again, everyone is talking about the prodigy of Clairefontaine, Hatem Ben Arfa. Benzema, the silent, is lurking in his shadow. Six months after the highly publicized debut of HBA, KB9 also has its chance. The day before his first game with the professionals, a meal brings together the whole team. Karim Benzema on his debut with LyonCredit: Getty Images He made the staff laugh, us much less… “We had a tradition at the time, all the young people who joined the group had to make a speech, recalls Nicolas Puydebois then goalkeeper and understudy for Grégory Coupet and Rémy Vercoutre. And there, while he shows incredible humility and has been working in silence for months, he says: ‘Thank you for welcoming me. The attackers, you You better be good because I’m here to take your place’. It made the staff laugh, us a lot less.” In the room, dumbfounded, a good bunch of internationals including Sidney Govou, Pegguy Luyindula or Giovane Elber, former scorer for Bayern and Brazil. The next day at Gerland, Benzema returned in the 77th minute. Number 33 on the back, without flocking, it is already on a mission. Very quickly, he receives a medium ball which he saves from the sidelines. After a blow from the sombrero on his defender, he offers a decisive pass to Bryan Bergougnoux. Nothing will stop him now. “If he had been five years older, as we really lacked a scorer at that time, we would probably have won the Champions League”, regrets Puydebois. OL are still chasing the C1, Benzema has won five. But that’s another story…Ballon d’OrBenzema, 24 years that French football was waiting for him11 HOURS AGOBallon d’OrBenzema: “I grew up with that in my head”12 HOURS AGO