When he needs to make green leaves, he will silently sacrifice and pay willingly; when he needs to make peonies, he can also take up the big banner and be red and purple. He was Benzema. The 34-year-old Real Madrid striker, who just helped his team beat Liverpool in the Champions League, has become a big favourite for this year's Ballon d'Or. French celebrity Henry even threatened to tell the organizers not to vote, and to present the award directly to Benzema.
Although Benzema did not score in the Champions League final, he scored 15 goals in 12 games in the Champions League this year, scoring only 17 goals in a single 13/14 season; and many of them were key winning goals in the knockout rounds, leading Real Madrid to beat Paris, Chelsea and Manchester City. Benzema is also the Golden Boot in La Liga this year, scoring 27 goals and helping Real Madrid win La Liga. With 44 goals in 46 games in all competitions this season, he has become a favourite for this year's Ballon d'Or Awards.
French star Henry supported him in the show after the Champions League final to win the Ballon d'Or. He said: "I have something to say to French football (the organizer of the Ballon d'Or) and the voters... No need to vote, Benzema has already won. Finish! （Close the vote, Benzema won it. Bye!）
Another commentator, Ferdinand, agreed, saying that the debate over the Ballon d'Or was over. If Benzema doesn't win, it would be ironic.
After the final, a reporter asked Benzema if he had ever thought of winning the Ballon d'Or, and he confessed: Of course there is!
He said: "I'm going to report to the national team next, I feel like I've done the most for the team, let's see what happens after that, but in any case, I'm proud of what I've done.
Benzema, who won the Champions League for the 5th time, said: "I have the championship, I don't have to prove anything on the field, the most important thing is that I enjoy it."
Coach Carlo Ancelotti praised Benzema as the perfect centre-forward in today's world, with all the work required to be a centre-forward, including defense.
Benzema has been at the top of the line for 15 years, debuting from Lyon and is known for his versatility, speed and confrontation, shooting and passing, and is a full-fledged striker. In the 07/08 season, Benzema, who was in his early twenties, exploded, scoring 20 goals in a single season and being regarded as the best player in Ligue 1. At that time, Benzema was the proud son of Lyon and the chief star of Ligue 1. He was also once a pampered peony.
In the summer of 2009, Real Madrid launched the Galactic Fleet 2.0 plan that shocked the world, and acquired the strongest stars in the Premier League, Serie A and Ligue 1 in one go, namely C Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema. In that star-studded Real Madrid, Benzema's light is not as dazzling as others, and Higuain and others are competing for the position. At that time, it was the peak of Ronaldo, and the whole team real Madrid was its green leaves.
Benzema seems to have lost the surprise of his debut, taking on a lot of humble but important work, learning more tandem attacks, sending threatening passes to his teammates, and even more active defense. For the benefit of the whole team, for the extraordinary of C Luo, Benzema is willing to restrain himself, silently dedicated, never heard him "dancing hula" or to fight with C Luo, and rarely left the team.
In the season before Cristiano Cristiano Ronaldo left the team, Benzema scored only five league goals in the 17/18 season, scoring only 12 goals in all competitions and assisting more than goals. When Cristiano Ronaldo switched to Juventus, there were concerns about whether Benzema could take on the heavy responsibility.
However, Benzema told everyone that when the club asked him to be a supporting role, he could hide his merits and fame, but when it was necessary to stand up and lead, he would shine. In the 18/19 season, his league goals rebounded to 21, scoring 30 goals in all competitions. Although he is over thirty years old, Benzema's performance has not advanced and retreated, and this season has played at the level of the Ballon d'Or.