Benzema and Vinicius are at peace

Posted Sunday, November 01, 2020 by Marca.com

It was perhaps the quietest spoken sentence that has ever made headlines around the globe, but Karim Benzema's supposed criticism of Vinicius in Germany in midweek has already been forgotten. The two players now at peace with each other.

Benzema was seen talking quietly to Ferland Mendy in Monchengladbach, seemingly telling him not to pass to the Brazilian as it was like he was playing against them, which were surprisingly harsh words.

Yet, the issue was dealt with quickly and the pair were pictured together in training on Friday with the hatchet very much buried. This was made more evident in Saturday's 4-1 victory over Huesca, where Real Madrid's team spirit appeared at a high.

"It's clear that the most important thing is that the players have spoken to each other and nothing has happened, there are always things said on the field and they must remain there," explained Zinedine Zidane.

"I honestly believe that these things happen many times on the pitch, but they are so small, it's natural in a game situation. The important thing is that it doesn't build, that the players can talk to each other and that everything has been forgotten."

Vinicius didn't start against Huesca, but he arrived onto the pitch in the 60th minute of the match and it took him just two minutes to show he wasn't weighed down by Benzema's words.

He raced to the ball and provided a perfect pass to the Frenchman inside the penalty area. It could have been an assist for the former Flamengo prodigy, but Benzema failed to finish the chance.

They reconnected again 10 minutes later when Benzema played a pass to Vinicius, who then looked to return the favour with a through ball into the area, but the execution was lacking in quality.

When Benzema scored an injury time header to complete the scoring, Vinicius was one of the first to congratulate him and it seems very much as if any problems from the trip to Germany are in the past.