Real Madrid were one of the great architects of the last Ballon d’Or ceremony. The Merengues indeed saw Karim Benzema leave with the most prestigious award while Thibaut Courtois was voted best goalkeeper of the season. Logical coronations in view of the last campaign of Madrid, punctuated by a double Liga-Champions League. Before the trip to Elche, Carlo Ancelotti returned to many topics at a press conference.
Benzema’s coronation
” We are very happy. It’s a bit like it’s also ours. He said he was very proud of this award, he also thanked all his teammates because it is just that, an individual award won with the help of a team. We all congratulated him. It’s done, we have to think about the next one, and it can start tomorrow, by putting pieces in it”
The Ballon d’Or ceremony
“We are all very proud of what Karim has achieved, as well as Thibaut and those who have remained close, such as Modric and Vinicius. We are very proud. From there, we must also congratulate all those who won, Gavi, Putellas, Lewandowski, Mané… Also Manchester City, a club that we respect a lot and which had a fantastic season.
Mbappe’s future
“I don’t know what the future will hold. I don’t know what can happen. The future of this club and this team is already written; I already said this last year. We have young players like Vinicius, Rodrygo, Camavinga, Tchouaméni, Valverde, Militao… They have already sealed the future of this team. Players change, I’m sure next year’s team won’t be the same as this one, but these players have already designed the future of Real Madrid.”
The evolution of Benzema between his two spells on the bench
“He surely has a lot more responsibility and feels a lot more like a leader in this team than he did eight years ago. Not much has changed technically, its quality is the same. What has changed is his responsibility and attitude towards the team, being much more of a leader.”
” That’s a compliment. I saw Atlético against Athletic Bilbao and it was a very entertaining game. After the game, I heard Simeone say he was emotional, and I agree. If they say Real Madrid is Cholista, that’s a compliment.”
“I think so, it’s fair, because it allows him to try to improve on what he did last year, when almost everything was new, so that everyone sees it with this continuity. and this quality. This will motivate him to do better”
