The return of King Karim
A day after the French Football Federation announced its squad for the Euro 2020 Tournament, daily newspapers in France adorned their entire front pages with photos of a single athlete. The last time the press had done something of this sort was when Zidane made a comeback to the French National team in 2005. Karim Benzema, arguably one of the best strikers in competitive football today, had finally made a comeback to the French National side after 6 years. It was news that every Frenchman deserved to know, and the newspapers did a very good job at spreading it.
Having scored 27 goals out of 81 appearances for the Les Blues, Benzema was once hailed as a generational talent. However, as allegations of his supposed involvement in an attempt to blackmail his former France teammate Matthieu Valbuena surfaced in October 2015, Benzema was banned from the French national team. Though he continued to represent his franchise Real Madrid in club football, the French Football Federation showed no signs of lifting the ban. From what seemed to be a tragic end to a promising career, the way Benzema has managed to pull off his return to the Les Blues is nothing short of a fairy tale.
In the months that followed his ban, Benzema hit upon a rough patch. A drop in consistency and form led him to be dropped from the Starting XI in many matches. The 2017–18 season was even more difficult for him, and he went on to clock more than 1000 minutes of playing time with just two goals to his name. Around the same time, his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo was in the form of his life, and for a player who had always been overshadowed by other star players like Cristiano Ronaldo & Gareth Bale, Benzema’s future at Real Madrid seemed to be at stake. Yet, the franchise and his manager trusted Benzema and backed him throughout his lean patch.
In the season that followed, as Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid to join Juventus, the focal point of Real Madrid’s attack shifted. Benzema now had to step in as one of the main strikers for the team. With questions over his form and his future at the club, this was Benzema’s last chance to prove his worth to his critics, manager and the fans of Real Madrid. Though Real could only finish third in the Points Table in the 2018–19 La Liga, Benzema finished as the second-top scorer in the league, trailing only behind Lionel Messi.
The Spanish Football arena was baffled, wondering what led to this transformation in Benzema’s form. In contrast, the Frenchman had managed to score a mere 5 goals in the previous season. However, with a little retrospection, it became clear that not all Benzema’s woes in the previous seasons were due to his fault. He had always been a first-class striker who was forced to play second fiddle to the other star players in the team. And now, when he got the opportunity to play his natural game, he obviously shined. In the 2019–20 season, the Frenchman led Real Madrid to the League title, leading the team’s top scorer's list with 21 goals. His metrics in scoring headed goals have particularly been phenomenal, with astonishing levels of accuracy. He was thus rightly adjudged the Player of the Season.
In the 2020–21 season, Benzema finally rose to the form of his life. Anyone who has been closely watching Benzema play since his early days would claim that this must have happened years before. A striker’s value to a team not only depends on the number of goals he scores but also on how crucial those goals are and how often he creates chances out of tough situations. And going by this notion, Benzema has always been an asset to the team, even in the seasons where he wasn’t at his best. His return call to his National side has only proved how indispensable his contribution would be valuable to the Les Blues.
In the past 6 years after Benzema’s suspension, the French team has transformed into one of the strongest football teams in the world. They are the current reigning World champions and with players like Kante, Mbappe, Griezzman and Pogba, they are a strong favourite to win this edition of the Euro Cup. Though France is a part of the Group of Death, with the addition of Benzema, the team will be a force to be reckoned with.
