Why Karim Benzema Appears To Be Wearing A Bandage On His Hand
Why Karim Benzema appears to be wearing a bandage on his hand
Football fans with keen eyes may have noticed that Karim Benzema frequently wears a bandage on his hand during games these days.
Former Real Madrid stars Jose Antonio Camacho and Chendo were also known to wear bandages, but that is not why the striker wraps his hand whenever he takes the field.
GOAL explains why France's free-scoring international wears hand protection on the field.
What is the significance of Karim Benzema's bandaged hand?
It all started on January 13, 2019, when the Frenchman collided with Real Betis defender Marc Bartra during a Liga match.
Benzema fractured his right hand's little finger and was advised to have surgery to repair it, but this came with a two-month recovery period.
Benzema played against Sevilla with a bandage for the first time after missing only one game, a Copa del Rey match against Leganes.
He went on to score six goals in the next four games, as the equipment in his hand served as a good luck charm and even became part of his celebration.
After the 2018-19 season, Benzema agreed to join the operation in the summer. He would, however, rush his rehabilitation at the expense of preventing his finger from fully healing.
He continued to play through the injury for the rest of the season by heavily strapping his hand with a bandage and has never turned back
When will Karim Benzema remove the bandage?
Benzema, who has scored an average of 30 goals per season since the injury, revealed in a press conference ahead of a Champions League group game in October 2021 that he still needs to wear the bandage.
"I had surgery, but you have to be out for two months after surgery," he explained.
"I've hurt [the finger] again, but I don't have time to stop and have another operation, so I play with the bandage."
It is unclear whether Benzema will keep the bandage on indefinitely as a good luck charm or whether he will remove it completely once he is fully healed.
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