Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema praised Luis Enrique's PSG, but also criticized Real Madrid. Karim Benzema has been away from Real Madrid since 2023, after joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad before moving to Al-Hilal this year. Even so, he still remains a reference point for the Spanish club, which made his comments while praising Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain especially interesting. During a live stream on Instagram with rapper Rohff, the striker praised the way this current Paris Saint-Germain team plays. In doing so, he also drew a comparison with Real Madrid in comments reproduced by AS. Benzema said: “Everyone knows what they need to do and what contribution they must make. A starting player knows his role. A substitute knows his role. At the same time, the sub doesn’t pout. At Real Madrid, everything is more difficult because they don’t play as a team.” Benzema praises Luis Enrique The striker has played alongside great teammates and been coached by elite managers such as Carlo Ancelotti, José Mourinho and Zinedine Zidane at club level. His trophy haul with Real Madrid reflects his huge experience. Luis Enrique revolutionized Paris Saint-Germain (Carl Recine/Getty Images) That made his comments even more notable, as he gave most of the credit for Europe’s most dominant team to their manager, while also taking time to put fellow Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé above the rest. Benzema said: “Luis Enrique is the most famous figure at PSG. But it is a team. You can put anyone in attack, they all work together. And the substitutes work just as hard. That is why they are so strong, PSG is not a team of stars, except for Dembele, the Ballon d’Or winner. But forget about that: they press, they defend, they attack, they run.” Benzema’s view on PSG’s bench players A major reason behind Paris Saint-Germain’s success has been their ability to rotate players without losing performance. That was the point Benzema emphasized when explaining why they are so difficult to beat. Benzema said: “When the coach makes a substitution in the 60th or 70th minute, the guys coming onto the pitch contribute even more than those who started the match. And these are supposedly the ‘bench’ players.”

Dotun and Andy are joined by France football expert Jonathan Johnson for the most farewells we’ve ever had on OTC! We discuss whether Zlatan Ibrahimović really leaves behind legendary status at any of his clubs, the reasons behind Karim Benzema’s sudden Real Madrid exit, and just how Lionel Messi will be remembered in Paris after what Jonathan argues has been two seasons of regression. At least Neymar (aka Barney Gumble) is still there though… Plus, the small matter of this weekend’s Champions League finale! Got a question for us? Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: [email protected]. Sign up for our Patreon for exclusive live events, ad-free Rambles, full video episodes and loads more: patreon.com/footballramble. ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The keys are in the lock, the gate is open, but oh yes we’re here with a weekend Ramble! Marcus and Andy react to news that one of Spurs’ targets has replaced, erm, another of Spurs’ targets at Bayern Munich. And it was a terrible day in more ways than one for poor old Julian Nagelsmann… We recap an even worse day for Karim Benzema as Kylian Mbappé and co run wild against the Dutch, while Marcus makes his feelings known about Antoine Griezmann’s pink hair and Virgil van Dijk proves that he’s got guts of steel after withstanding a dodgy chicken curry. Tweet us @FootballRamble and email us here: [email protected]. Sign up for our Patreon for exclusive live events, ad-free Rambles, full video episodes and loads more: patreon.com/footballramble. ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!** The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three defeats on the spin have got the vultures circling in Paris. But who’s under threat? Dotun and Andy are joined by Jonathan Johnson to answer that question, as PSG suffer yet another disappointing night in the Champions League and look increasingly dependent on a striker who could leave at any moment. But the club that could pinch him don’t look ready to part with their striker either - we discuss Real’s own dependence on Karim Benzema as contract talks stall. Plus, how have Dortmund become less… Dortmund-y?! Tweet us @FootballRamble and email us here: [email protected]. Sign up for our Patreon for exclusive live events, ad-free Rambles, full video episodes and loads more: patreon.com/footballramble. ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Bundesliga beat Germany! The league’s Japanese contingent felled Hansi Flicke’s men yesterday in another huge upset, while Spain crush Costa Rica. Dotun, Andy and Nicky Bandini provide the European perspective on it all in our first World Cup edition of On The Continent! What’s wrong with Germany’s mentality? Can Spain’s kids carry them all the way? And why are France better with Olivier Giroud than Karim Benzema? Pete’s Film Club is back! Sign up for weekly episodes throughout the World Cup and much more here: patreon.com/footballramble. Tweet us @FootballRamble and email us here: [email protected]. ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dotun, Andy and Lars Sivertsen don their tuxedos for another episode of your one-stop shop for all things European football. Karim Benzema secures yet another bit of glitzy jewellery with a deserved Ballon d’Or win, so we celebrate his amazing year. We also assess Xabi Alonso’s tough start to managerial life and wonder what various German and French welterweights can do to challenge the heavy hitters. Got a question? Tweet us @FootballRamble and email us here: [email protected]. Sign up for our Patreon for exclusive live events, ad-free Rambles, full video episodes and loads more: patreon.com/footballramble. ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everton were dragged deeper into the mire last night as Sean Dyche’s band of merry men figured out how to kick the ball in the net just in time. Kate, Andy and Home Alone villain Pete Donaldson react to a dramatic night everywhere you looked, as Karim Benzema extended his Luxury Memory Foam Cushioned Header range to whip Chelsea and Aleksandar Mitrovic claimed another victim to put Fulham closer to the Premier League. And someone else is getting closer to the Prem as well: Shteve, welcome home. Tweet us @FootballRamble and email us here: [email protected]. Plus, you can now find us on TikTok! Just search 'Football Ramble'. ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Remember PSG, you can throw endless Qatari money at some of the world’s best players, take the reigns from Leonardo because he’s a fool and win the first leg - but the house always wins. Join Marcus, Jim and Andy as we recap a Champions League night equal parts dazzling (Karim Benzema) and dull (Man City). We also get the cocktails out on Gareth’s Barge and discover that Eddie Howe’s yet to finalise his Geordie passport. Tweet us @FootballRamble and email us here: [email protected]. ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate, Vish and Pete charge into the studio after one of the greatest days in international tournament history - even Álvaro Morata got involved! France papered over substantial cracks with a brief flurry of attacking brilliance - with Karim Benzema and Paul Pogba showcasing their endless class - before somehow losing to Switzerland. We also rave about an All You Can Score buffet that Spain won and look ahead to England's night of reckoning, soundtracked by the sodding England band. We'll be releasing even more shows throughout the Euros! Make sure you're subscribed to our feed in your podcast app so you don't miss a thing across the tournament! Search ‘Football Ramble’ on social media to find us, and email us here: [email protected]. ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Mbappe to Benzema: Six Euro 2020 players with links to Middle East and North Africa The National

Thomas Tracksuit Tuchel got his revenge on Leicester with a seismic win in the race for next season's Champions League. That being said, Kelechi Iheanacho completed a perfect goalscoring week with a game to spare, which is indeed the real quiz. Marcus, Vish and Pete also celebrate the return of fans, with Brighton snatching a great win from under Pep Guardiola's massive cigar and Edinson Cavani dispatching an absolute beauty against Fulham. There's even time to toast the imminent departure of Roy the Boy Hodgson and the return of Karim Benzema, whose thirty domestic goals and iced out Rolex helped him earn another France call-up. Search ‘Football Ramble’ on social media to find us, and email us here: [email protected]. ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Real Madrid train for UCL semis – in pictures The National

We start today’s episode of On The Continent with a deserved tribute to one of French football’s favourite sons, as former Marseille president Pape Diouf sadly passed away this week. We remember his incredible journey from humble beginnings in Chad to establishing himself as a respected football journalist and eventual club president, all while endearing himself to the French football public. Elsewhere, as clubs around Europe struggle with the financial fallout from the Coronavirus pandemic, we discuss whether the decision should rest on the players to donate some of their wages to non-playing staff or if that should be up to clubs and the authorities. There’s also time for a lowdown of the increasingly tense relationship between Lionel Messi and the Barcelona hierarchy, as well as some powerful statements from Atalanta supporters’ groups. And finally – roll up, roll up, it’s time for the clash of the century. It’s the F1 car vs the go-kart; it’s beautiful goals vs beautiful features; yes, we make time to discuss the Karim Benzema vs Olivier Giroud beef! Fancy getting in touch? We are now releasing episodes of the Mailbag exclusively to Patreon! Email us at [email protected] and visit patreon.com/footballrambledaily to get involved! **Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!* For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.