The year of Benzema may have an icing: being captain in the Etihad. The loss by sanction of Sergio Ramos and the theoretical ownership of Mendy ahead of Marcelo relegate the white bracelet to its third commander in staff, Karim (the fourth is Varane). That August 7th in Manchester the cat It will have more weight than usual in your backpack. Madrid will not only need their goals, but also a leader.
It would be the fourth time who would jump onto the field with the bracelet this season. The first was on the first day of the Champions League against PSG, when the whites fell by a resounding 3-0. The second, on day 19 of the League against Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, Madrid won 0-3. The third and last one was very recently, on Matchday 35, against Alaves at the Alfredo Di Stéfano. He even scored a penalty goal. In those three appointments Ramos was sanctioned and Marcelo, injured.
He does not shy away from the ballot and is already dancing between gallons. His season is being to frame: 26 goals between all competitions (21 in League, four in Champions and one in Copa Del Rey). Has played a total of 3,891 'minutes, also being a starter in all post-quarantine matches. He brushed the pichichi trophy, but finally stayed four goals from Messi.
Little by little, more captain
Sergio Ramos is always a starter and that makes the bracelet rarely move from his arm, but occasionally it does. The first time Karim took the field with him on was in the 14/15 season, in the first leg of the round of 32 against the Cornellà (October 29, 2014, Madrid won 1-4). Last season he was captain six times: two in Champions (against CSKA and Ajax, the latter was defeat 1-4 at the Bernabéu) and four in the League (Levante, Valladolid, Eibar and Getafe). For the locker room he is a leader, a heavyweight.
The Golden Ball, on the horizon
The debate is there. There are those who consider it favorite and others, however, believe that it should not be candidate. It is evident that this year he will not win it, since the trophy, canceled by the coronavirus pandemic, will not be awarded, but playing a good role in the Etihad can give you more ballots for future editions.
He speaks freely and openly about the award. “What if I think about the Ballon d'Or? Sure, all the while from my childhoodBut it's not something that drives me crazy every day. It is always there when you are competitive, “he said a few days ago answering questions on his YouTube channel.