MY ACCOUNT
Carlo Ancelotti challenged Karim Benzema to launch his bid for back-to-back Ballon d’Or awards when Real Madrid head to Elche in LaLiga on Wednesday.
French striker Benzema captured world football’s most prestigious individual annual prize on Monday, finishing ahead of Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne in the podium places.
He was the obviously outstanding candidate after starring – and often captaining – Madrid on their way to LaLiga and Champions League success last season.
The timeframe for the award has changed, shifting from a calendar year gong to one that celebrates achievement from August 1 to July 31.
The new system will continue, so early season efforts in 2022-23 will count towards next year’s Ballon d’Or.
Benzema has made a steady start to this campaign, certainly not as eye-catching as Erling Haaland at Manchester City, whose goals could put him in the picture, despite Norway failing to qualify for the World Cup.
Now Ancelotti is urging Benzema to kick on, saying of his prize: “We are very happy. He said that he is very proud of this award and has thanked all his colleagues.
“We have to think about the next Ballon d’Or. He can start tomorrow.”
Ancelotti said he felt “proud” of the 34-year-old and also Thibaut Courtois, who landed the prize for the best goalkeeper and finished seventh in the main vote.
Courtois questioned whether a goalkeeper stood any chance of taking the top prize. Lev Yashin, in 1963, is the only keeper to have laid his hands on the trophy.
Speaking after the awards, Courtois said: “It seems that it is better to score a goal than to save one. It is a battle that remains to be won. Seeing the logic of the vote, I had no chance of finishing very high, nor of winning it of course.”
At least Courtois could join Benzema in celebrating individual prizes, with Madrid surprisingly pipped to the team award by Premier League champions Manchester City, who Madrid beat in the Champions League semi-finals.
Ancelotti, who will be without the injured Courtois at Elche, saluted Benzema’s development into a talisman for the Spanish capital giants.
“He is a player who has much more responsibility and feels much more like a leader than he was eight years ago,” said Ancelotti.
“Technically he hasn’t changed much, because his technical quality is the same. What has changed is his responsibility and his attitude.”
Madrid will hope to follow the individual success with another win on the road, having won all of their five away games so far in LaLiga this term.
They lead LaLiga by three points from Barcelona after winning Sunday’s Clasico.
Elche, meanwhile, are winless in their last 12 matches against Madrid in LaLiga (D2 L10), since a 3-1 victory in March 1978.
