Benzema recently picked up the 2022 Ballon d’Or award.
Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema won his first Ballon d’Or on Monday after a memorable 2021-22 season, as he scored 44 goals in 46 appearances to help the team win the Champions League and La Liga.
The striker has also scored in his 17 consecutive seasons in the UEFA Champions League, the most goals scored. He scored from 2005-06 to 2021-22. This record has been equaled only by Lionel Messi.
Benzema became the second French player to win the Ballon d’Or since Zidane in 1998 and fifth overall on Monday, and to commemorate the achievement, Adidas turned Benzema’s bandage on his right arm into golden memorabilia. Adidas also announced new boots and a new special kit to celebrate Benzema’s Ballon d’Or triumph.
But what is the background to that bandage on his right arm? Many fans believe this is due to superstition, but it is actually related to an incident that happened in 2019 when a player played against Real Betis and broke his little finger while trying to break a fall when he came into contact with Marco Batra.
The player was informed that he would need an operation, which would keep him out of the field for two months. But the French international preferred to postpone the operation until the end of the season. Benzema had a successful operation, but the Real Madrid forward tried to speed up his recovery and re-injured his little finger, forcing him to permanently wrap a bandage around his right hand.
When asked why he did not undergo surgery after the UEFA Champions League group stage game, the player was surprised. “I had an operation, but when you have an operation, you have to be away for two months. I hurt [the finger] again, but I don’t have time to stop and operate, so I wear a bandage while I play. “
