Karim Benzema: What's the story behind Real Madrid star's injured finger? | OneFootball

On Monday evening, Karim Benzema became the fifth Real Madrid player to win the Ballon d’Or in the 21st century.

The supremely-gifted Frenchman has followed in the footsteps of Ronaldo Nazario, Fabio Cannavaro, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric.

Benzema was a truly deserving winner of the accolade after an exceptional 2021/22 season with Los Blancos, where the team won a La Liga and Champions League double.

In 46 games across all competitions, the 34-year-old maestro scored a whopping 44 goals and assisted a further 15.

Those are numbers befitting of Lionel Messi in his absolute prime and it's why Benzema was the only worthy winner of the 2022 Ballon d'Or.

The former Lyon man gave an emotional speech after scooping the accolade and a photo of him up on the stage in Paris has attracted a lot of attention on social media - although not for the reason you may have expected.

What happened to Benzema's finger?

The photo in question shows Benzema's misshapen little finger on his right hand, which is covered by a bandage during matches.

Yeah, it's a bit gruesome.

So what actually happened with regards to Benzema's finger? And why hasn't he got the problem fixed?

Well, it's a long story which started way back in January of 2019. During a 2-1 Real Madrid victory over Real Betis, Benzema collided with former Barcelona defender Marc Bartra and fractured the finger while attempting to break his fall.

The nasty injury occurred in the midst of a busy schedule, so the France international opted against surgery - which would have ruled him out for around three months.

And as the brilliant, detailed thread below by Twitter user @GreatWhiteNueve explains, Benzema still hasn't had the operation due to the hectic nature of his footballing life over the past three-and-a-half years.

Thread: Why hasn't Benzema had surgery on his finger?

Benzema really has sacrificed so, so much to succeed at Real Madrid.

The injury occurred in the club's first season after Ronaldo's mega-money move to Juventus and Benzema knew he had to lead from the front if he was physically able to do so.

And despite the fact Real Madrid missed out on the 2018/19 La Liga title to Barcelona, the Frenchman's selfless actions paved the way for yet more success.

Benzema is now a five-time Champions League winner, a four-time La Liga winner and a Ballon d'Or winner. He's not done there either...