Contrary to urban legend, the bandage isn’t a superstition (Picture: Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
Nelly’s plaster on the face. Madonna’s foray into wearing an eye patch. Karim Benzema always wearing a bandage on his hand.
One of these things is not like the other.
Whereas Nelly and Madonna’s choice of medical-adjacent accessory were purely style statements, Real Madrid’s Benzema wears his for an actual reason.
Why does he play with a bandage on his hand?
Why does Karim Benzema wear a bandage?
Quite simply, Benzema wears a bandage on his hand to protect himself ever since he fractured his finger back in 2019.
While some fans have long pegged it down to superstition, Benzema straps up his right hand before every game due to an injury sustained against Real Betis in January 2019 that still hasn’t been properly fixed.
Benzema suffered the injury in a match between Real Betis Sevilla v Real Madrid at the Estadio Benito Villamarin in 2019 (Photo by Erwin Spek/Soccrates/Getty Images)
The injury occurred following a clash with defender Marc Bartra, leaving Benzema with a fractured finger.
At the time he was told that surgery would leave him benched for two months. Instead of sitting out on the season, Benzema opted to wait until the end of the season to have the operation.
Despite the surgery being a success, Benzema rushed his rehabilitation to be available for the start of the next season. Upon his return, his hand received another blow and he has worn a bandage ever since due to not being able to give enough time post-op for it to heal.
His hand doesn’t stop him from performing well.
In the 2021/22 La Liga season, Benzema scored 25 goals.
MORE : How many goals has Karim Benzema scored in the Champions League this season?
MORE : Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema retires from international football after missing Qatar World Cup
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Not just a style statement.