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Benzema reveals how Real Madrid chief made him reject Barcelona FC.
French footballer Karim Benzema has revealed that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez turned up at his house unannounced to beat off competition from Barcelona and Manchester United for his signature in 2009.
After bursting onto the scene with Ligue 1 outfit Lyon, Benzema was wanted by some of European football’s biggest clubs 12 years ago.
He had to make a difficult decision about his future, but he has revealed how Perez’s personal visit to him helped him decide. The Frenchman won his first Ballon d’Or on Monday night, confirming the 34-year-claim old’s that Perez informed him he would become a world-beater if he moved to Madrid.
Speaking about how his move to Madrid came about, Benzema said in an interview with Onda Cero: ‘I remember I was with my friends. They called me, my family and agent, to tell me that I had to go home quickly, that we had to talk.
‘I told them I didn’t have time , and they told me “you have to come, Florentino is here.” I opened the door and saw him, I didn’t say anything, just “hello”.’
Perez then told him: ‘You will be the best in the world and the place to achieve it is Real Madrid.’
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Benzema didn’t require any additional persuasion, and he signed with Real Madrid in July 2009, the same summer that Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo also joined the team.
At the time, Benzema acknowledged that other clubs had expressed interest in signing him, but he expressed delight at obtaining the chance to play for Madrid.
Since that time, Benzema has appeared in 615 games for Madrid and scored 328 goals.
He scored 45 goals in all competitions to help Madrid win the Champions League and LaLiga last season, which was enough to win him the Ballon d’Or ahead of Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne. It was his finest goalscoring season to date.
‘There were quite a few clubs that contacted me, like Manchester [United], Inter and Barcelona, but I decided to come here,’ he said.
‘Real Madrid are an excellent club. I’ve dreamt about playing here since I was 15 years old. Florentino [Pérez] spoke to me about the team and the project that he wanted to create.
‘It was very exciting. Real Madrid fans have a special relationship with the players and I am very grateful for that. I felt some strong emotions today and that’s why I kissed the badge.’