'Childhood dream': Karim Benzema elated after securing Ballon d'Or nomination for 2021

Karim Benzema has been in the form of his life after 19 goal contributions so far this season. He has managed to score 9 goals in La Liga and one in the Champions League for Real Madrid so far, while also providing 7 assists in just 10 appearances for the Los Blancos.

He also scored France’s first goal against Belgium that began their sensational comeback in the Nations League semifinal. After all this, it is not surprising to see Benzema’s name being thrown in the hat for Ballon d’Or. 

Speaking to AS, Karim Benzema said that it has always been his dream to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or award. He added that Ballon d'Or is always at the back of a player's mind even though the primary focus is the team's success. He said that he would do everything he can and work as hard as possible to win the award one day. 

“I’ve been dreaming of winning the Ballon d’Or since I was a kid, it’s a dream that all of us footballers have. It’s true that the most important thing is the team, but when you help your team win, when you play well and score lots of goals, the next thing to have in mind is the Ballon d’Or. So I’m going to do everything I can and work as hard as possible to hopefully, one day, win it and achieve this dream I’ve had since I was a kid."

While he dreams about the Ballon d'Or, Benzema will have some tough competition in the form of Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, PSG's Lionel Messi, Borrusia Dortmund's Erling Haaland, Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski, and Chelsea's Jorginho to name a few.

Benzema's sensational form over the past few years

Meanwhile, Benzema also became France's sixth-highest goal scorer of all-time by surpassing his former coach, Zinedine Zidane, with a total of 32 goals.

He has scored these goals in a total of 91 matches for the national team after missing about six years of action when he was 'blackisted' from the squad. He scored a total of 30 goals for Real Madrid in the LaLiga last season and has been a key player for the team in their brilliant start to the ongoing season.

(Image: AP)