Karim Benzema spoke in a wide-ranging interview with L’Équipe. The former Real Madrid captain delivered a frank, incisive assessment of his former club’s superstar-laden attack. From tactical clarity to ego management, Benzema laid out what he believes is missing at the Santiago Bernabéu this season.
“What Real Madrid lack is simply a connection”
For Benzema, the issue is not talent — far from it. It’s structure.
“What Real Madrid lack is simply a connection. Between Mbappé, Vinicius, Bellingham, and Rodrygo. Each one needs to know what to do on the
field… Bellingham needs to understand that he’s the attacking midfielder, not the goalscorer. Mbappé is the goalscorer… Vinicius is a left winger.”
“Everyone wants to be the best — that’s where it gets complicated”
Benzema acknowledged the difficulty of blending four world-class stars with overlapping ambitions.
“Everyone has their own personality and characteristics… Everyone wants to be the best, so it’s a bit complicated. Everyone needs to understand that, in their role, they can contribute, but it’s for the good of the team.”
“The coach can’t do anything” – Benzema places the responsibility on the players
Benzema’s assertion that this is a dressing-room issue, not a coaching one:
“No, the coach can’t do anything. He has names, he has the best players. After that, it’s a matter of players… If your teammate is better than you, you have to accept it.
“These days, there aren’t any players like that at Real Madrid anymore. There isn’t a more experienced player who can tell Bellingham, Mbappé, or Vinicius that they’re doing something wrong… Players don’t talk to each other anymore. It’s: ‘I did my job, I scored my goals.’”
On the pressure surrounding Mbappé: “He has to lead this team to titles”
Benzema spoke candidly about Kylian Mbappé’s arrival, praising the forward’s goal-scoring ability while underlining a new responsibility:
“Mbappé scores a lot of goals and will continue to do so… But the most important thing is that Real Madrid signed him so that, in key moments, he can win games for his team… He has to become the leader of the attack.”
He pushed back against those who diminish goals scored against smaller teams:
“Watch out! A brace or a hat-trick against Elche is difficult… There are defenders, a goalkeeper. But I’m talking about those moments when the team absolutely has to win. That’s why they signed him.”
On Zidane: “Wherever he goes, he’ll win”
Benzema also spoke warmly about Zinedine Zidane, amid growing rumors linking the legendary coach to the French national team job.
“If Zizou becomes the French national team coach, I wish him all the best… Wherever he goes, he’ll win. That’s all.
“We still talk. We have an exceptional relationship… He doesn’t need to talk to you. With him, you can go shopping, you can go playing. It’s easygoing.”
