On August 26th, a night of passion, Benzema was delighted to receive the Men's Footballer of the Year award at the UEFA awards ceremony, delivering his impassioned acceptance speech.
"That Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain was undoubtedly one of my best moments. It was because of the passionate support of the fans that we were able to break through. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my club, my coach, my president, my teammates, without whom I could not be standing here."
Carlo Ancelotti, the great coach, also won the Coach of the Year award. "Carlo Ancelotti, who is the best coach in this world and whose guidance has given me great confidence, is an outstanding professional coach. I am very honored to be his disciple, he is one of the best coaches I have met in this world. I will always remember the glory of Mourinho and Zinedine Zidane at Madrid, and the return of Carlo Ancelotti allowed us to make another success, winning the Super Cup, La Liga and the Champions League. Between games, he always gave us the strength to give our all on the field, as only he could."
"Today, I'm 34 years old, but I feel better than ever and my form is getting better and better. On a personal level, this has really been the best season of my career, but one thing that has remained constant is that I go on the field thinking about how I can help the team win, not personal glory."
"Every Champions League title has its own unique history and story, but there is no doubt that this title is the toughest of the five I have won, and the most beautiful, because of our comeback and because we never gave up."
"Crowe has helped me a lot and his departure has given me more opportunities. My goal tally has increased since he left, but I always play the way I think the game should be played. These numbers bring me one step closer to being a Real Madrid legend, which gives me confidence, even though I know that reaching Cristiano's goal tally is impossible. Therefore, I focus on how I can help the team win on the field. Stats aren't everything, I don't play just for titles or goals, I love soccer and I have dreams, like winning the World Cup or the Ballon d'Or."
