Today, August 26, La Liga giants Real Madrid striker Benzema was honored as UEFA's Player of the Year and gave a heartfelt speech at the awards ceremony.
"There is no day in my soccer career that compares to that showdown with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, and it was the enthusiastic support of the fans that allowed us to advance to the next round. I must express my sincerest thanks to my club, coach, president and teammates, without whom I could not be standing here." Benzema said excitedly.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was also honored with the UEFA Coach of the Year award. Benzema commented: "Carlo Ancelotti is undoubtedly the best coach in the world, he gives me great confidence, he is an outstanding professional coach. I am honored to be his disciple. At Madrid I met Mourinho and Zinedine Zidane, who made a great contribution to the club. Although Ancelotti left, his return allowed us to win the Super Cup, La Liga and the Champions League. He was a coach who was able to instill confidence in us between matches, allowing us to do our best to equalize on the field, as only he could have done."
"Now at the age of 34, I feel better than ever. On a personal level, this has truly been the greatest season of my career. However, one thing that has always remained consistent is that I always enter the stadium with the team's interests in mind, not personal glory."
"Every Champions League title carries a unique history and story, but this one is undoubtedly the toughest and most precious for me. Because we made the comeback, because we never gave up."
"Crowe has been a huge help to me and with his help I have been given more chances to score goals. When he left, I knew I could go further in terms of goals. Since then, my goal scoring numbers have changed, but I've always played the way I think the game should be played. These numbers bring me one step closer to being a Real Madrid legend, and that gives me confidence. Even though I know it's impossible to reach Cairo's goal tally, I'm still focused on contributing to the team on the field. Stats aren't everything, I don't play just for titles or goals, but because of my love for soccer and my dreams, like winning the World Cup or the Ballon d'Or."
