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Karim Benzema has confirmed that he will retire from football at Real Madrid. He made the claim after winning the 2022 Ballon d'Or on Monday (October 17) in Paris.
The 34-year-old became the second-oldest winner in the award's history and the first Frenchman to win the award since Zinedine Zidane in 1998. His contract was reportedly automatically extended by another year following his Ballon d'Or win.
His deal will now run until the summer of 2024, which could be the time when the Lyon-born striker announces his retirement. He will be 36 years old by then, which is around the time most players call it a day when it comes to their playing careers.
Speaking to Onda Cero (h/t Fabrizio Romano) after the star-studded ceremony, Benzema said:
"I will retire in Real Madrid. There's no other option for me."
The France international has been at the Santiago Bernabeu since joining the club from Olympique de Lyonnais at the start of the 2009-10 campaign. Since then, he has scored 328 goals and supplied 160 assists in 615 games across competitions for Los Blancos.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti seems to be on board with the idea of having Benzema on his team in the near future. The Italian manager spoke after the Madrid striker's Ballon d'Or win and said:
"He is like fine wine. He gets better over time."
He seems to be right with his assessment. Last season was Benzema's most prolific in his playing career, where he managed a tally of 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 club games across competitions.
Benzema turns 35 in December but continues to captain Madrid in their bid to defend the La Liga and Champions League titles this campaign.
Karim Benzema helped Real Madrid to a famous El Clasico win before the Ballon d'Or ceremony
Karim Benzema picked up the Ballon d'Or award in Paris on the back of a superb display for Real Madrid against Barcelona in La Liga on Sunday (October 16).
He scored the game's opening goal at the Santiago Bernabeu and helped his team secure an iconic 3-1 win. They are now three points clear at the top of the La Liga table after 10 games.
Benzema, meanwhile, is odds-on to make manager Didier Deschamps' France squad for the FIFA World Cup in November. He wasn't picked for the 2018 edition due to a high-profile controversy involving Mathieu Valbuena.
