Why does Karim Benzema wear a bandage? Real Madrid player’s hand injury from Real Betis clash explained

Real Madrid star Karim Benzema scored two crucial goals as his side narrowly lost to Premier League leaders Manchester City in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Scoring goals has been synonymous with Benzema ever since he signed for Real Madrid in 2009, however the French international is also known for wearing a bandage on his right wrist for more than three years.

Some fans believe it could be down to superstition, as the introduction of the bandage has coincided with Benzema playing the best football of his career, however, the simpler the explanation, the more likely it is to be the right one.

Why does Benzema wear a bandage?

The bandage does actually stem from an injury, as he injured his hand playing for Madrid in January 2019, during his side’s game against fellow La Liga outfit Real Betis.

The forward clashed with Betis defender Marc Bartra, leaving Benzema with a fractured finger.

The striker, who has been at Madrid since 2009, was told that surgery was required, but would sideline him for as long as two months.

Madrid wouldn’t want to go into the crunch time of the season without their star striker, and Benzema just simply loves to play the game, so wouldn’t want to miss such a vital part of the season, and instead opted to wait until the end of the season to have the operation.

The end of the season for Spanish clubs usually occurs at the end of May.

The surgery was a success, however, wanting to be match ready for the start of the following season, Benzema rushed his rehabilitation process and made himself available.

During that game, he was involved in another clash which injured his already non-healed finger, and now has to wear a bandage constantly as he didn’t give the injury enough time to heal post-operation.

He isn’t the only striker to wear a bandage. Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy also wore one for a prolonged period of time, as well as Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez, who has worn one with his current club, and previous clubs such as Liverpool and Barcelona.

It is thought that Benzema could have the finger operated on once more, which would mean a bandage on his wrist would no longer be required, but with a world cup on the horizon, it may have to wait until the end of his career.

How has he performed since the bandage has been permanent?

Despite people thinking it may be a hindrance to his performance having a big bandage on his right wrist, it has been the opposite.

Since he injured it he has produced numbers that are the best of his career.

After his two goals against Manchester City, including a deft panenka that shocked most of the footballing world, many have argued that Benzema is out in front in the race for the coveted Ballon d’Or, which is currently held by Lionel Messi.

Who is Karim Benzema?

Karim Benzema is a French striker who plays for La Liga side Real Madrid, a club he has been at for 13 years.

He was often seen as a facilitator for Cristiano Ronaldo, enabling the legendary Portuguese striker to go and score many goals for the club.

The 34-year-old began his youth career at Bron before moving to French giants Lyon in 1997, spending seven years in the youth academy before graduating in 2004, where he made 112 appearances scoring 43 goals.

In 2009, he swapped his native France for the capital of Spain for £31 million, and has been largely ever present for the club since.