Despite having his worst season since joining Real Madrid, Karim Benzema defended his role at Real Madrid while aiming a dig at his critics.
Speaking in an interview with Vanity Fair, Benzema shared his thoughts on life as Real Madrid's scapegoat, since fans tend to forget his past contributions to Los Blancos due to a lackluster season.
"Great players are constantly criticized because we sell newspapers. Lots of people forget about things in six months or a year. Bale and I were part of the fastest and most consisten attack in the world, and now people say we are bad players. I guess that's the price you have to pay if you want to play for this team," Benzema stated.
The French striker has only scored nine goals in all competitions for Real Madrid this season.
Speaking about being under constant scrutiny by fans and experts, Benzema shared how he deals with bad reviews on his performances.
"It's not that I don't care about what people say about me, but I'm fair. When I don't have a good game, I don't need to read about it, I admit it. What I really don't like is being slammed when I do well on the pitch, I don't need to score to be an asset for the team," the player added.
Before the interview came to an end, Benzema thanked Zinedine Zidane for his support while sharing how he considers president Florentino Pérez as part of his family.
"I know he's the president, but he's like familty to me. I'll always remember that, back in 2010, he kept me calm after a headline stated I was a dead man walking on the pitch. Another instance came after the Valbuena incident. After spending a night in jail, I returned to Madrid and he waited for me at Valdebebas (Madrid's training complex) to offer me his support. That meant a lot to me," Benzema concluded.
With the season nearing its end, most reports state that Benzema is set to leave Los Blancos this summer. Only time will tell if the 30-year-old striker will see the end of his 9-year spell in the Spanish capital.
