Carlo Ancelotti has admitted he wanted to change the penalty taker for Real Madrid this season but decided to stick with Karim Benzema because of last season.
Benzema played a huge part for Real Madrid last season as they went on to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy. The Frenchman scored two penalties in the semifinals against Manchester City, one in each leg, to help them make it to the final, where they defeated Liverpool.
However, Benzema missed a penalty on Sunday night in a 1-1 draw against Osasuna. Los Blancos ended up dropping points for the first time this season and are now behind Barcelona in the league table on goal difference.
Ancelotti spoke to the media after the draw and talked about the penalty miss. He said:
“I thought about changing the shooter, but Karim took the two biggest penalties last season. He’s the best shooter we have. It hasn’t been his best game after this stretch of injury.”
Real Madrid star backed to win Ballon d’Or this year.
The Ballon d’Or ceremony is happening later this month, with Real Madrid star Karim Benzema being touted as the front runner. The forward was a key figure in their Champions League triumph and also helped them win La Liga last season.
Carlo Ancelotti has already put his weight behind the striker and said (via ESPN):
“[Benzema] is a leader. If we’re here, it’s partly because of him. He scored a lot of goals. Now for the Ballon d’Or. … Are there any doubts? I don’t think anyone has doubts about that. For us, he’s the most important player, he’s the most efficient player in the world in this moment.”
He added:
“He was important to win the Champions League. He didn’t score in the final, but with his goals, we played the final. He scored against [Manchester] City, against Chelsea, against Paris [Saint-Germain]. He’s so important for us, there’s no doubt that at this moment he’s the best.”
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has also backed Benzema to bring home the trophy this month. He was quoted as saying:
“From my point of view, he already deserved [the Ballon d’Or] last year, and this year even more.”
The Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place on 17 October at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.