KARIM BENZEMA has revealed that he has not received a message from former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo after winning his Ballon d’Or.
The French forward was well deserving of the award after he led Madrid to the Champions League and LaLiga double last season.
He was on top form throughout the season as he scored 44 goals in 46 games in all competitions, including key strikes in their Champions League run.
The striker even beat Premier League stars Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne as well as PSG’s Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe to the coveted award.
Benzema was congratulated worldwide for his achievement as his former manager Zinedine Zidane hailed him as the “best striker in French football history.”
However, there was one notable omission as Ronaldo did not send him a message, despite playing together for nine years.
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Benzema was asked if the Portuguese attacker had contacted him following the award, and he said: “No, not yet.”
Ronaldo has won the award five times but was not in the running for it last year even though he was Manchester United’s top scorer last season.
Benzema is now looking forward to the World Cup in Qatar and is hopeful of helping France lift the trophy, especially as the day after the final is his 35th birthday.
He said: “Winning the World Cup would be one of my best ever birthday presents.
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“Each match will be a cup final. We’ve got a great group of players, we’re going to take it one game at a time.
“I’ve had a few little fitness issues but nothing serious. There’s still plenty of time until the 22nd. I’ll be fine, I’ll be physically and mentally ready.”
Ronaldo however is all over the news following the reveal of his explosive interview with TalkTV in which he speaks about his time at Manchester United.
In this he admitted he “has no respect” for his manager Erik ten Hag, criticised the club’s owners and slammed his former team-mate Wayne Rooney.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
