Benzema and Vinicius are destroying defences, almost destroying themselves in the process. One conversation changed everything

They are currently one of the most feared football duos in the world. Vinícius Junior and Karim Benzema are destroying the defences of their opponents and thanks to them Real Madrid are comfortably leading the league and heading to the semi-finals of the Champions League. Their relationship almost failed.

Together they have scored 54 goals out of the 93 Real Madrid have scored this season. They understand each other perfectly on the pitch, just one look and they both know exactly what to do. They proved it in the Champions League quarter-final when, after a shared cue, Vinícius found Benzema in the whitewash who sent Real into the lead with a header.

They are the two main drivers of this year’s Real Madrid. A team that has been rather underrated in the Champions League, yet knocked out a star-studded PSG and is on course to reach the semi-finals despite last year’s winner Chelsea.

The two get on perfectly both on and off the pitch, with Vinícius considering the 13 years older Benzema as his mentor. Yet their relationship has not always been so idyllic.

You may recall. It was October 2020 and Real Madrid were losing to Borussia Mönchengladbach after a poor performance in the Champions League. Vinícius was one of the worst players on the pitch, losing the ball in a promising position several times in the first half, sending the opponents on the break.

Benzema couldn’t hold back and in a half-time conversation with teammate Mendy, which was recorded by the cameras, he gave Vinícius a hard time. “I swear on my mother that he’s playing against us. He won’t do any good, don’t play him,” he said in French to his teammate.

But the whole conversation was picked up by the French media, and it was a big deal. It seemed to bury the whole relationship between the two and drown the chances of Vinicius’ jump to the elite, as at the time fans and management were quite frustrated that he was not fulfilling his great potential.

Sincere apologies

Only the opposite came to pass. The very next day, according to the newspaper Marca’s sources, Benzema found Vinícius at the training centre in Valdebebas to offer a sincere apology. The Frenchman should have told him that he considers him a son and wants to help him grow. And time has proved him right.

The air cleared between the two, with Vinícius letting it be known that he didn’t take the comments in the tunnel personally, but as the frustrations of a captain whose team wasn’t doing well. So the Brazilian youngster accepted the apology without any problem and from then on the relationship between the two players only grew. And since the new season under Carlo Ancelotti, it has finally started to grow on the pitch as well.

Benzema is cherishing a record of 37 goals and 13 assists, while Vinícius has racked up 17 goals and 12 assists. He has assisted five times in the Champions League, including four times to Benzema. It is the joint registration of these two in goal that is the most frequent and benefits the whole club. The two stars can only smile and enjoy their current form.

Source: Marca