Out of the shadows: Benzema wins his first Ballon d'Or
This time, there is no dispute. Top scorer in last season's Champions League and LaLiga, Benzema has the individual statistics and collective titles to finally find the spotlight.
He has never made numbers an obsession. But when his turn came to take the light and his responsibilities, he took them. And now he has been rewarded.
Twenty-four years after Zinedine Zidane, Benzema lifts the Ballon d'Or, becoming the fifth Frenchman to win the prestigious award after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin and his former coach at Real Madrid.
At almost 35 years old - he will be in December - the Lyon-trained striker has reached the peak of his career after a long journey. At Real Madrid, nothing was offered to him.
He was criticized, by Jose Mourinho and by the press. He was put in competition with Gonzalo Higuain, Alvaro Morata twice, Jese, Borja Mayoral, Mariano Diaz and Luka Jovic. All of them were supposed to take his place or some playing time. None of them could dismiss him.
Lieutenant of Ronaldo, he preferred to help than to leave. He never claimed the main role, never complained and that is precisely why he became the favourite son of Florentino Perez.
With Benzema, the Madrid president deviates from his rule of only offering one-year contracts with an option to 30-year-olds.
Always resilient
To be a striker is to be selfish. In the case of Benzema, this individualism is less prevalent than in his counterparts. His style of play, made of stalls, passes and movement makes him an unclassifiable player, somewhere between the striker, the nine-and-a-half, the playmaker. Skills that took time to be understood and appreciated.
They have also become sharper as he has matured. Rarely injured, Benzema has been able to progress at his own pace, without being slowed down.
Back in the French team since the Euros last year, he is no longer a silent player for Les Blues. The success has mitigated his extra-sporting problems and even his conviction has not influenced his season, completed in triumphant style at the Stade de France with another Champions League medal, the fifth of his career.
More than a Real goal, this Ballon d'Or is a symbol of perseverance.
