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Alukrad t1_ist7kh2 wrote

What ever happened to James Rodriguez? He was getting a lot of attention and then... Poof.. disappeared.

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deckard1980 t1_istcb9v wrote

Had a great world Cup then couldn't cement a place at Real. Get this: he had to play for Everton

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weegee19 t1_istfc1o wrote

Would mostly blame it on injuries. James was mostly class when fit but a couple of seasons later he simply no longer fit.

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fudgie1 t1_isu86n6 wrote

That's part of it but there's also a larger trend in world football working against him in that the popular tactics have been shifting away from his best position. It's getting harder for attacking midfielders to find a role on many teams whereas 20-30 years ago it was the most important position.

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weegee19 t1_isuax8x wrote

I think he absolutely could have adapted if injuries didnt stymie his progress, but youre also correct in that regard.

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karlverkade t1_isvmw73 wrote

He was also slooooooowwww, so adapting was doubly difficult for him. Other CAM’s could make it work, but he was basically a slow 6 trying to play 10 in an increasingly speedy game. It was maddening to watch him run…like, he was incredibly fit so your brain just expected him to get to the place faster and he just didn’t. Not to mention that he never learned to use his right foot for anything other than standing, and that means that a slow, one-footed attacking mid basically has to be perfect skill-wise. Any tiny little slump was extremely noticeable because he had no speed (or right foot) to fall back on.

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DawdlingScientist t1_istw8ff wrote

He was outstanding in his first season I believe. Then Isco had the most insane form/career peak I’ve ever seen and took his natural position. I think low key Zidane just didn’t like him.

Hard to argue with Zidane when we won the cl that season he didn’t even include James on the bench but ya. Tough one, poor James.

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lonelyfool7 t1_isw5lse wrote

Zidane was just a fan. He really wanted Isco to work. I think he always had Isco over Bale as well for preference.

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dskoro t1_istvs2o wrote

Get this: he got benched at everton

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senseswin t1_isuky9t wrote

Multiple injuries derailed his progression. Lost a massive amount of pace. Compound that with the fact that his position has slowly died out the last 4-5 years means it's hard to build a team with him in it.

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ShinStew t1_isv4yyb wrote

Happens with a lot of players at major tournaments they look the real deal, but they aren't. Football economists actually recommend not buying players who stood out at international finals unless they were already a known quantity, James was good but never elite, he has always lacked consistency.

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Projeffboy t1_isw139a wrote

Real Madrid is a graveyard for pure attacking midfielders

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Razza t1_issj0w7 wrote

I don’t know if Benzema is a real beacon of good character.

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cedenof10 t1_istqfl7 wrote

As a Barça fan, I have always thought Benzema was a phenomenal player, but after I found out about the blackmail case I couldn’t look up to him the same way. It’s a shame because he’s a great player and truly deserves the award this year.

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ShitfacedGrizzlyBear t1_isumx7c wrote

As a Barca fan, I’d think you’d maybe be more willing to look into the details of the blackmail case to see what he actually did. The extent of the “blackmail” was Benzema becoming aware of what had happened and then telling his teammate he might just want to pay to put it all to rest before a major tournament with the French national team. (It should be noted that the French team was not in a good place at the time and that the French media are absolutely ruthless. If word got out, it would have derailed not only Valbuena’s career but also the entire team.)

Maybe Benzema should have handled everything differently. Maybe gone to the police instead. But it’s simply not true to say that he had any role in blackmailing his teammate besides informing his teammate about what he was told when the people responsible approached him. Benzema didn’t plan it. He didn’t take part in acquiring the sex tape. Literally all he did was say, “hey, maybe you should just pay them.” The money demanded would have been pennies to Benzema. If it ludicrous to actually think that Benzema blackmailed his teammate. At most, you can say that he should have gone to police instead of Valbuena directly. But as discussed above, there are reasons he didn’t do that.

If we want to talk about the criminality of footballers without any context, let’s talk about how Messi is a dirty, tax-dodging monster who was stealing money from the Spanish people. (For the record, I don’t believe that’s the case. I’m just trying to make a point that the way people talk about the Benzema/Valbuena controversy is sensationalist and intentionally paints Benzema in a bad light.)

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Stephannation t1_istrq3d wrote

Also he had sex with a 15 year old prostitute.

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gbru015 t1_istx3vq wrote

This doesn't seem like an "also" level revelation - more kinda the headline. Is that true?

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Stephannation t1_istyx89 wrote

Google Karim Benzema 15

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HerakIinos t1_isu5mt4 wrote

The girl was 16 and she admited she lied about her age. He wasnt aware she was a minor.

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Cosoman t1_isuv9l0 wrote

Also he was like 19-20 at that time

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Stephannation t1_isu924u wrote

Although all that could be true, he has lost the benefit of the doubt in my mind

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HerakIinos t1_isu96f4 wrote

Its not like him or the judges cares about your mind...

The girl literally admited it.

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Stephannation t1_isu9iao wrote

I actually just got a call from the judges in a wild turn of events

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ChrisTinnef t1_isu8msa wrote

Investigation found he had credible reasons to believe she was of legal age. So I'd say it's a similar Level to the crime he was found guilty of.

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luvgothbitches t1_isufydg wrote

oh brotherrrr. Nobody tell this guy about John Lennon cus his brain might explode. Spoiler: Nobody has a clean record, including you.

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Conundrumist t1_isukwqq wrote

HEY!! my record is perfectly clean!

The bodies in my basement were there when I bought the house ..... 20 years ago ..... I just forgot to report them.

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henchman171 t1_istgj5a wrote

Can someone explain the meaning of this picture?

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eLPeper t1_istkd8o wrote

The BallonD'or is the award given in football to the best player in the world. In the first picture, we see a lot of Real Madrid players with a lot of trophies; including CR7 with one of his many BallonD'or. In the background we see Karim Benzema, a player who was very questioned at the time and who was just congratulating his teammates for the feat.

Yesterday, and years later after this photo, Karim has won his first BallonD'or as he finally has been declared as the best player in the world.

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Rajili t1_isvsfsb wrote

Thank you! How frequently are these awards given? Are they based on stats or do people vote on it?

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jeesprr t1_isvvr9n wrote

once a year, its decided via a vote by journalists from each of the top 100 nations (based on fifa rankings)

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Rybentor t1_isvzwdh wrote

Good explanation, but maybe it would be better to not use abbreviations or nicknames when it's implied that someone doesn't know anything about the subject

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sbprasad t1_isx4m76 wrote

Exactly, CR7 = Cristiano Ronaldo (whose jersey number is 7), if anyone here didn’t know.

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xaeru t1_iswrr3g wrote

Just to put it out there, BallonD’or means Golden Ball.

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cosmosvision t1_istls0s wrote

Until he decides to blackmail you over a sextape like he did to Valbuena. Never forget. He was found guilty with one-year suspended jail term. He's not as nice as he portrays.

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Aymerico_LaPuerta t1_isutoz0 wrote

Guilty of conspiring though not blackmailing himself. He was the mediator between both parties. At the time, Benzema made more money every 20 minutes than the ransom that was asked. He couldn’t have cared less about taking Valbuenas money and was not behind the plan to blackmail him at all. Important nuance when you accuse someone of “deciding to blackmail you”.

If you’re going to make judgements on someone you don’t personally, at least make the effort of including the relevant context

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Alpal12 t1_istnaxc wrote

I am not a soccer/football fan. I am an American staying at the hotel where they were hosting this and was wondering what the hell was going on. A lot of security.

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kobi29062 t1_isv0eaw wrote

You must have a hell of a lot of money about you

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soboi12345 t1_isulg8e wrote

Benzema is one of the greatest late bloomer. Dude turned his career 180 after and has been awesome the past seasons.

But IRL he is a piece of dog shit. For those who dont know his scandal.

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IrnBroski t1_isy4lc0 wrote

Tbf he was always kinda classy, just had to play feeder for Ronaldo for most of his peak years

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soboi12345 t1_isyvf0z wrote

Ya true. But still he is a great number 9.

Imo BD'or is complete bollocks. Imo both courtois and lewa were awesome but they didnt get the award. Courtois was so good for RM!

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_serious__ t1_isue3j4 wrote

Lol this title is so ridiculous

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loopywolf t1_isuomms wrote

Many think that putting others down and pumping yourself up is the way to success.. I've found that supporting others pays forward, especially if you're on a team together.

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cuchicou t1_isv6x62 wrote

Benzema looks like he inherited the top half of his head from Ronaldo and the bottom from Messi

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eatenbyalion t1_istvfp3 wrote

I thought the lunettes d'or were awarded to the best referee. Why is Benzema wearing them?

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The_Reginald_ t1_isucuq3 wrote

Who photoshopped some hair on his head in the second pic?

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PATTpete t1_isuhlfi wrote

James wins the golden license plate award.

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fikis t1_isuo0dn wrote

I thought EXACTLY the same thing.

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vlakiades t1_isujlkf wrote

benzema most overrated winner since messi, romario, ronaldinho, zidane and stanley matthews jk lol

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MidnightSun77 t1_isuw5m9 wrote

Benzema looks like a refined Post Malone in the bottom epic

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its_justme t1_isviurl wrote

Dude in the back perfected the Smash bros post match clap

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[deleted] t1_isvkzbh wrote

Benzema is corrupt af

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TH0316 t1_iswb1i2 wrote

Watching James’ volley against Uruguay live, and his whole tournament in general, only to end up at Everton, will never not blow my mind.

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rgr_b t1_iswk03z wrote

As a Barça fan, I can just admire what a beast Benzema has become. That’s a well deserved award.

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mylivegamertags t1_iswksjz wrote

BEAST! Single handed won them games. Insane, when the bag was closed, this MF’ing cat jumped out, like: SURPRISE MF’ers

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Smarterthanlastweek t1_istodd6 wrote

Something that pisses my off more than anything is adults that won't clap when kids win trophies.

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JamesPilgrim t1_isu00p4 wrote

He looks so serious with those glasses 😅

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ShitfacedGrizzlyBear t1_isunhb0 wrote

If you look it up on Twitter, you can see a side-by-side of his outfit from last night and an old picture of Tupac. That’s Benzema’s favorite rapper, so he copied an outfit Tupac wore. Tupac was also wearing glasses.

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BlueChilly t1_isu5a12 wrote

Prime Kroos right there

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Idkawesome t1_isv72rc wrote

Yeah in a game, that's called sportsmanship

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akonscousin t1_isvgay7 wrote

I’m motivated to have my hair creep over into other panels of the meme. I’m PUMPED!

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MrYuzhai t1_isvq4xi wrote

Dressed like Pac

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SodiumBoy7 t1_isvwlpm wrote

Benzema look like a 15 th century poet

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shitoupek t1_isvxijw wrote

What I didn't like at that gala is his gold frame spectacles. It killed any humbleness he could have expressed.

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piojo1979 t1_isw8xoj wrote

I’m actually having a difficult moment right now…

this is really eye opening and calming, thank you OP…

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king_oscars_island t1_isw9pvd wrote

I knew he was an actor but had no idea Shia Labeouf was a footballer

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JuXas t1_iswa8ng wrote

Why bearded Eminem is holding this cup?🤔😂

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florexas t1_iswa9xv wrote

Not a fan of real but love watching him play

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QuantumQaos t1_iswbfxi wrote

Post Malone really cleans up well.

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monkey36937 t1_iswzcsx wrote

He is a criminal, he out cause the the French President and CEO of real Madrid have paid of the law to him out of jail.

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