Jose Mourinho played a vital role in the career of Karim Benzema and the Portuguese claims the French man’s award came naturally.
Former Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has stated that Karim Benzema Ballon d’ Or came naturally for the forward and not because of obsession.
Benzema won the award last night ahead of Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne in recognition to his previous season performance.
Since his arrival at the Bernabeu, Benzema have watched his team mates (Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric) win the award.
The French man was in impressive for his side last season, helping them win the Champions League and La Liga.
The current Roma coach spoke about Benzema in L’Équipe after winning the Ballon d’Or: “Karim is a great person, a kind of team player. He is not obsessed with himself, he is not obsessed with the Ballon d’Or, he is not a guy obsessed with scoring more goals than A, B or C. It’s just a kind of team that does a lot, so the Ballon d’Or becomes a natural consequence. I think he’s a guy obsessed with his team.”
José Mourinho reviewed the Real Madrid striker’s career: ” His Ballon d’Or is the natural consequence of his great development, rather than the result of a personal obsession.”
He also remembered when he trained the French star: ” When I was his coach, he was a very talented footballer, in search of his identity as a player of the highest level, with the right ambitions and the right physical condition.
“I wanted him to grow as much as possible ,as fast as possible and I was hard on him, I corrected him in every little detail, the slightest extra kilo and the slightest minute of delay in training. I don’t know if I influenced his development, only he knows, but his very strong character allowed him to progress “.
Mourinho added that his relationship with Benzema is good despite the ‘cat’ anecdote: “I’m very happy for him. For four or five years he’s been a man, the team leader who responds at key moments that make history. He is a phenomenal footballer at the top of his potential, physically, mentally and tactically.”
“Karim is a versatile player. If there were three Karim in a big team, they would all play: one would be a scorer, the other leader, the last one would play on the left side… I am very happy because sometimes the Ballon d’Or only recognizes the pure talent. There crowns both individual talent and a man who has always defended the essence of football: the collective”, concluded the former Real Madrid coach.
