Karim Benzema is a French professional footballer, who won the 2022 Ballon d’Or award, and with a lot of media attention focused on him, fans can’t stop wondering about the reason behind him always wearing a bandage on his hand.
Karim Benzema currently plays as the top striker for La Liga club Real Madrid and the French national football team.
What is the reason behind Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema always wearing a bandage on his hand during matches
I know it’s supposed to be all World Cup talk right now, but what @adidas did here to celebrate @Benzema winning a Ballon d’Or was elite 🏆
Symbolism, imagery and messaging master piece
The hand bandage in gold, the “impossible is nothing” slogan to top it off.. Brilliant pic.twitter.com/RcOJPwYgTc
— Jesus Da Costa (@jesusddacosta) December 3, 2022
Adidas has provide Karim Benzema with a Golden version of the signature bandage that he will wear on his right hand, and a special version of this season's Real Madrid home kit, complete with a golden font for his name on his back and a special number nine that feature a montage pic.twitter.com/oRRKAn9ssC
— Temitope (@IamTopsy4real) October 19, 2022
Despite being already 35 years old, the veteran striker is still considered as one of the most iconic strikers in the game.
Karim Benzema 2022 Ballon d’Or winner
Karim Benzema won the 2022 Ballon d’Or thanks to his remarkable performances. The 35-year-old led Real Madrid to a La Liga title and a Champions League while also finishing as the top scorer in both of the competitions.
The Frenchman scored an impressive 44 goals in 46 matches across all competitions in the 2021/22 campaign. Although Benzema may not be at that same level currently, he is still definitely a force to be reckoned with.
Besides his goals and performances, fans have noticed something peculiar about Benzema. The fact that Bbenzema always seems to have his right hand wrapped consistently for the last three years has got many fans wondering what is the reason behind it. Benzema often celebrates his goals by pumping his fist into the air making his bandaged hand quite hard to miss.
Reason behind Karim Benzema wrapping his hand during matches
The reason behind Karim Benzema wrapping his hand during matches start with breaking his right pinky finger during a collision with Real Betis defender Marc Bartra way back in January 2019, during a La Liga match.
Despite requiring surgery, Benzema refused to undergo one since he would need two months of rehab along with it. As such, the Frenchman was back in the next match six days later against Sevilla at home, and played the full 90 minutes. He then feature in the following match where he scored two during their 4-2 win over Espanyol.
However, it came with consequences as Benzema got inured further. While the exact date of the second injury is unknown, Benzema confirmed it during a pre-match press conference back in the start of the 2021/22 season. He stated:
I did have surgery, but the problem is that you need to be out for two months and I wanted to stay with my teammates. I then injured it again, but now I don’t have time to have another surgery so that’s why I play with a bandage.”
As such, Benzema wears the bandage on his right hand as he continues to delay the surger, which would leave him sidelined for months. With the football calendar loaded with lots of matches, it is hard for Benzema to take two months off. Especially so because he is nearing the end of his career, and he would like to make the most of his remaining time.
Although the offseason is once option, it would also leave his preseason preparations behind, which would make him miss the start of the new campaign.
A part of his persona
With Benzema having worn the wrap around his right hand for three years now, it has become part of his on-field presence and persona. In fact, it has become so noticeable that FIFA even assigned his video game character to wear the wrap.
More recently, his injury got the spotlight when he received his Ballon d’Or award in October of 2022. Fans noticed how Benzema’s finger looked awry while accepting footballs most prestigious individual accomplishment. Real Madrid’s official Twitter account alongside Adidas, also made sure to point out Benzema’s sacrifice to his team by posting a photo of his wrapped hand.