Arabs & Arabian Records Aggregator. Chronicler. Milestones of the 25 Countries of the Arabic Speaking World (official / co-official). AGCC. MENA. Global. Ist's to Top 10's. Records. Read & Enjoy./ www.arabianrecords.org
Morocco’s cultural capital Rabat is hosting the first edition of Jassad, the International Festival of Women Directors, between October 25 and 30. The event aims to highlight and pay tribute to the achievements of women theater directors from across the world.
Organized by Morocco’s Aquarium Theater and Anfass Theater, the festival will feature renowned women directors from Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, Spain, France, Denmark, and Romania.
“Through this festival, we wish to establish a ritual of recognition towards all the creative women who serve the theater,” said Amsaa Houri, director of Anfass Theater.
The six-day event also aims to “strengthen the resilience and hope of women actors in the cultural and creative industry, at a time when the sector has been seriously affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” Houri added.
The festival serves as a platform for cultural and artistic exchanges, as its program offers a wide range of activities, including plays, a master class, workshops, as well as meetings and debates, indicated the organizers in a press release.
Director of Aquarium Theater Naima Zitan described the festival as “a meeting, an exchange, a discovery, all this and a little more,” explaining that the event is dedicated to theatrical creation, as well as exchanging ideas, experiences, and different visions of the world.
“The Jassad (meaning body in Arabic) is what unites us, wearing a festive hat to welcome and greet a vast and colorful audience,” Zitan said.
The festival will feature various theatrical pieces, including Naima Zitan’s “Le Masque” (The Mask), Asmaa Houri’s “Automne” (Autumn), as well as “Joyeux Anniversaire” (Happy Birthday) by Morocco’s Fatima Zohra Lahouitar and “Boujloud” by French-Moroccan Kenza Berrada.
The six-day event will also feature “Nawal” by Lebanon’s Lina Abyad, “Heimat Wort” by Tunisia’s Meriam Bousselmi, “Enlorquecidas” by Spain’s Marta Ocana, and “Une Maison de Poupee” by France’s Lorraine de Sagazan.
In addition, the event will include a seminar titled “Profession: Woman of Theater,” featuring Morocco’s Zohra Makac and Omar Ferhat, Lebanese director and theater professor Lina Abyad, and Denmark’s theater actress Julia Varley.
H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, launched on Tuesday, 19 new volumes of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language at the headquarters of the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah.
The 19 new volumes of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language cover four letters, bringing the total number of letters edited so far to 9, thus increasing the number of completed volumes of the project to 36.
The volumes of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language were issued, directed and printed in Al Qasimi Publications in Sharjah.
Sharjah Ruler welcomed the attendance of members of the Academy from different countries, praising their great efforts in working on the historical dictionary, which is one of the valuable achievements that must be worked and built in order to spread, learn and teach the Arabic language.
His Highness announced an endowment to support these Academies in fulfilling their mission to the fullest, pointing to the importance of establishing private centres owned by the Academy.
Sheikh Sultan addressed the great efforts in supporting the learning of the Arabic language in Sharjah, pointing out to the vision and idea of establishing Al Qasimia University, which came as a culmination of His Highness’ efforts to support the Arabic language and Islam. “Here in Sharjah, we established Al Qasimia University, and this university is mine, and it graduates many students from Japan to the Americas,” he said.
The Ruler of Sharjah stressed the importance of preserving Arab traditions in any place and time of all members of society, because this is a part that integrates with speaking the Arabic language and shows belonging.
His Highness said, “We have worked to establish special institutions for the Arabic language, and we have established them with decrees and laws in order to preserve them, so as not to make them blown by the wind, and make the lovers of this language responsible for them.”
The Ruler of Sharjah concluded his speech by talking about the ancient history of Sharjah, as it was mentioned in the report of the leader sent by Alexander the Great when he came to Persia in the year 331 BC. M, pointing out that Sharjah and its people preserve the language, literature and poetry, highlighting their roles in supporting and spreading science and knowledge.
For their part, a number of attendees from the Academy expressed their appreciation to His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah for providing great support for the Arabic language.
The Sharjah Ruler launched the first 17 parts of the “Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language” at the opening of the 40th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair 2021. With the official launch of the dictionary’s website, people can search and read all the completed volumes.
Read on for a list of regional female filmmakers who have been taking the industry by storm.
Farida Khelfa
Farida Khelfa is an Algerian-French documentary filmmaker. She is currently set to release a new film titled “From The Other Side of the Veil” that aims to dismantle misconceptions and stereotypes that often surround Arab women.
Kaouther Ben Hania
The Tunisian filmmaker made headlines in the film industry after her critically acclaimed movie “The Man Who Sold His Skin” was shortlisted for the Oscar’s Best International Feature Film award this year.
Ayten Amin
The Egyptian director has long chronicled the lives of women in modern Egypt. Her feature film “Souad” was selected for the cancelled 2020 Cannes Film Festival.
Danielle Arbid
Danielle Arbid is a Lebanese filmmaker. Her work has screened at numerous film festivals in France and the rest of the world, including New York, San Francisco, Tokyo and more.
Annemarie Jacir
The Palestinian filmmaker has written, produced and directed award-winning films such as “A Post Oslo History.” Her movie “Wajib” (2017) won her 18 international awards.
Nujoom Al-Ghanem
The Emirati filmmaker, writer and poet had to overcome societal stigma and family disapproval to make it. She defied the odds and produced films such as “Amal” (2011) and “Sounds of the Sea” (2015).
Students from different UAE schools are being mentored in the space camp by celebrated names in space exploration and science, including Nasa astronauts and scientists.
Loud cheers echoed across the auditorium of a Dubai school campus on Tuesday as it made to the Guinness World Records .
The Innoventures Education group of schools set a record for conducting the world’s largest space exploration lesson (multiple venues) with 2,000 students from its five schools during the ‘Space 2101’ space camp where pupils from UAE schools have convened.
Poonam Bhojani, CEO, Innoventures Education, said: “We are delighted with the record for the maximum number of attendees in a Stem lesson across multiple venues. There were 108 nationalities of students who attended this course.”
The space camp, being held from October 17-21 at Dubai International Academy (DIA), Al Barsha, is seeing students from different UAE schools being mentored by celebrated names in space exploration and science, including Nasa astronauts and scientists.
At the camp, students can design experiments which stand a chance of being conducted in space. They can also have the schematic of their design printed and signed by the visiting astronauts and scientists as a keepsake.
Innoventures Education has partnered with Starlight Education, to offer students between 12 to 18 years at the camp a unique opportunity to design a sustainable habitat together with real astronauts and high-achieving scientists from around the world. The five-day programme will help students build critical thinking, leadership and teamwork, presentation techniques, and help build Stem skills as well as in-depth knowledge of designing space habitats that are fit for human wellbeing.
Hitesh Bhagat, principal, DIA, EH said: “The Space 2101 initiative, which has been going on around the world, has a strong good connection with the UAE’s space programme. The initiative is all about giving a different learning environment to our students where they can interact with experts.”
Students delighted to enter the records book
Students at the camp are getting to learn about real-world Stem skills like 3D design, coding, robotics and other industry-linked content. Ayesha Aldaboos, Grade 9 Emirati student at the Collegiate International School (CIS) said: “The programme taught me about other options in the science field. When I was younger (in junior classes), I always wanted to do something in the field of space. I don’t think I have the guts to become an astronaut, but maybe working at Nasa would be really nice.”
Raffles International School Year 8 student Mohammed said: “We are delighted that we’ve managed to enter the Guinness World Records. This camp has been fun, I made new friends and interacted with a lot of people from other schools. I also learnt about a new app that is being used for coding.
Ellen from DIA, said: “I used to hear about the Guinness World Records all the time, so it was exciting to be a part of this record-breaking achievement. While interacting with astronauts I got a chance to ask questions that have always intrigued me. I also learnt about computer aided design (CAD) and 3D modelling. I want to learn coding, and when I grow up I want to work for myself not for others.”
A longtime supporter of women’s rights in Mauritania, Aminetou Mint El-Moctar is currently focusing her efforts on confronting the barriers that deprive young women and members of vulnerable communities of university education.
The 65-year-old human-rights activist works through the Association of Women Heads of Households, which she founded in 1999, to support women’s issues in Mauritania and to renounce the various forms of discrimination against them.
In an interview with Al-Fanar Media, she recounted how her personal experience of being deprived of university education and forced into early marriage motivated her activism.
The right to education is inseparable from women’s aspirations to play a greater role in socio-economic and political life, she said.
The basic right to education opens the door to all other rights, she added. “Our homeland will not be able to achieve economic growth or political development without promoting the right of both sexes to education and raising education quality in all levels.”
Early Marriage and Activism
Aminetou Mint El-Moctar grew up in a middle-class family in the capital, Nouakchott. Her father was a merchant and her mother passed away early after her birth, so she lived with her grandmother. She started her education at a young age. At secondary school, she was forced to drop out to get married at the age of 13.
At that time, El-Moctar was becoming active in political demonstrations, but her father prevented her from taking part in them by “tying her with chains,” she said.
She told Al-Fanar Media: “I rebelled against early marriage and the traditions that exclude women and make them a mere tool for the traditional and patriarchal iron fist that sets them a binding path, without regard to their personal choices.”
She added: “Human-rights activism helped me rediscover myself, refined my skills, and made me more aware of the conditions of marginalised women who are forced to drop out under the pressure of outdated social traditions.”
In her struggle, El-Moctar has won several awards and medals. In 2006, she was awarded the Human Rights Prize of the French Republic. Academics at Georgetown University, in the United States, nominated her as one of the 500 most influential people in the Islamic world. In 2015, she was shortlisted for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Education of Girls in Mauritania
According to statistics, girls’ education in Mauritania faces many problems, including a high dropout rate. Some 47 percent of girls do not make the transition from primary to secondary school. Moreover, only 17 to 20 percent of university students are female.
Mauritania has made efforts to increase girls’ participation in education, but El-Moctar thinks these efforts are deficient in light of traditions that hinder many young women from joining the university. Economic deprivation is also a factor for many Mauritanians. In addition, El-Moctar says, some government policies “place restrictions on women’s access to leadership positions in all sectors.”
The women who do enrol in higher education run into additional problems, El-Moctar said. These include discriminatory educational curricula and practices, gender-based violence, government interventions in curricula and teaching methods, and a decrease in the number of teaching staff.
Other challenges that make it difficult for many girls to continue their education include high rates of child marriage and teenage pregnancy. Additional factors affect boys and girls alike, including poverty and living at a distance from schools. El-Moctar explained that children of rural families who depend on agriculture for their livelihood are unable to travel to urban areas where schools are located.
Empowering People with Disabilities
With about 18,000 volunteers, the Coalition of Mauritanian Organisations for Education is working in partnership with international organisations on several programmes to increase access to education. Its projects include efforts aimed at improving the integration of graduates into the labour market, supporting vulnerable girls’ enrolment in universities, and enabling people with disabilities to continue their education, along with designing educational programs commensurate with their capabilities and needs.
El-Moctar also criticised what she sees as discrimination against young women in government scholarships to study abroad. She said scholarships were awarded primarily to children from officials’ families.
She called on international donors to increase the number of scholarships they offer to those who wish to complete their studies abroad. Mauritania has only one public university and it is unable to accommodate all students, she said.
A Long Activism Journey
Since 1999, El-Moctar has been supervising the activities of the Association of Women Heads of Households, to support Mauritanian women in the face of discrimination and physical violence, and to encourage them to play a greater role in society and the economy.
Women in her country are “victims of traditions reflected in government policies or university admission policies,” El-Moctar said.
However, she asserted: “I will continue my path until women get the highest levels of education as a natural right, not as an exception, and enjoy full legal equality without reservations.”
Forced into early marriage and deprived of a university education herself, Aminetou Mint El-Moctar embarked on a lifelong struggle to improve women’s lives in her country.
A fragment of the legendary star map by ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus has been uncovered in St. Catherine’s Monastery.
Within the library of St. Catherine’s Monastery in South Sinai – the oldest continuously-running Christian monastery in the world – researchers have uncovered a fragment of history’s oldest complete star map, penned by ancient Greek astronomer and mathematician Hipparchus.
Hipparchus is considered to be the greatest astronomer in ancient Greece, and so researchers had been searching for his catalogue of stars for centuries. The manuscript in St. Catherine’s Monastery appeared to be something completely different; the pages contained a collection of 10th or 11th century Syriac text called the Codex Climaci Rescriptus. But as it turned out, it wasn’t just that – the pages were a palimpsest, or a parchment in which previous text was wiped clean so that it can be reused.
But much like scribbling your pencil over recently erased writing, it was possible to discover what was erased from a palimpsest. Researchers from the University of Cambridge, the University of Rochester in New York, the Early Manuscripts Electronic Library in Rolling Hills Estates, California and the French national scientific research centre CNRS in Paris worked together to find layers of writing that had been wiped away. Amongst them were the coordinates for the constellation Corona Borealis, and by comparing these precise coordinates with how the night sky would have been arranged in antiquity, the researchers found that the coordinates would have been made in 129 BC – right when Hipparchus was making his revolutionary cosmic calculations.
An excerpt of the discovered document was recently published in the Journal for the History of Astronomy, and is available online.
The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) launched a series of music books at Frankfurt Book Fair 2022.
Consisting of a number of publications, the series is a notable addition to the ALC’s roster of publications and focusses on Emirati and Arab singing and music.
It includes biographies of artists Eid Al-Faraj and Ibrahim Jumaa written by author Ibrahim Al-Hashemi, a book on Umm Kulthum’s reasons for selecting the poems she sang, alongside a variety of other titles, including educational books.
The launch ceremony was attended by Dr. Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC, and Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Acting Executive Director of the ALC and Director of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF), along with media representatives and book enthusiasts.
“The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre continues to drive the advancement of the Arabic language and enrich the Arabic library with original titles in an effort to encourage creativity and support authors,” said Al Tunaiji. “The series of music books we have launched is a means to shed renewed light on music and singing in the region. For the first time, the series presents biographies of musical pioneers in the UAE, in addition to documenting traditional performing arts and exploring new perspectives on Arabic singing by experts.”
The series includes two books from the ‘Pioneers Among Us’ initiative, where poet and writer Ibrahim Al-Hashemi documents the life of Eid Al-Faraj, a singer, composer, and poet. The first biography of its kind for this artist, it chronicles Al-Faraj’s journey from birth through childhood, education, and various stages of his career until the present time, illustrated by a collection of photographs.
In the second book, Ibrahim Jumaa: The Etheric Melody of the Sea, Al-Hashemi presents the life and achievements of a pioneer of music and composition in the UAE, and documents the songs and poems he wrote, composed, and presented at festivals and special occasions. The publication features photographs from Jumaa’s life, showcasing the awards and honours he received during his career.
“This music book collection completes the book series we previously launched at the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre,” added Al Tunaiji. “These works, wherein Emirati authors document the lives and professional careers of UAE musical pioneers, will greatly enrich the regional cultural scene and promote more in-depth research into the UAE’s musical heritage. The series offers a new perspective on Arab musical heritage, which is sure to spark new dialogue around it.”
The collection includes Dr. Hamad bin Sarai’s book Wahhabi Art: Kinetic and Verbal Performance from Emirati Folklore, which consists of field research documenting a form of folk performance art closely related to the agricultural environment, through interviews with people who practice the art form.
Meanwhile, the Encyclopaedia of Sung Poems, compiled by researcher Dr. Hammad Al Khatri, includes poems sung in the UAE, which are usually closer to popular taste and extend deep into the history of the community. The poems address phenomena and symbols from the surrounding environment and embody authentic Emirati vocabulary that expresses the culture of the people.
In the book Folk Songs for Children and Women in the United Arab Emirates, Dr. Fatima Al Mazrouei tries to remedy the lack of documentation of traditional folk songs, especially in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, where she collected many songs for her book which were never previously featured in published songbooks. The author also sought to collect children’s songs – often referred to as ‘Al-Ragousat’ in Abu Dhabi – in addition to songs about names, especially girls’ names.
Writing about the connection between Umm Kulthum and Arabic poetry, Dr. Ahmed Youssef Ali’s book Umm Kulthum: Poetry and Singing chronicles the legendary singer’s efforts to elevate Arabic song by performing the works of some of the greatest poets of her time and before. Umm Kulthum had a modest upbringing, only receiving religious education and being taught traditional culture, but her exceptional taste allowed her to select the poetic texts that would best serve her songs, sometimes rearranging the verses for the greatest effect.
Egyptian composer and researcher Hassan Zaki Shehata sheds light on four composers whose works have achieved tremendous success and fame in his book Rhythms of Light: A Musical Biography of Four of the Geniuses of Oriental Melody, where he analyses the works of Ahmed Sedqi, Abdel Azim Abdel Haq, Mahmoud Al Sharif, and Ali Ismail.
The collection also presents two books by composer and music researcher Muhammad Saeed Hegab. ‘The Flute: A Morsel of Cane with a Scent of Legends traces the history of the flute in an attempt to separate reality from the myths that were associated with the instrument in ancient times. The author lists the various forms of the flute and the phonetic differences between them, highlights the importance of the flute in different cultures, and explains how the instrument is manufactured and played. Meanwhile, Hegab’s The World of Bowed Instruments traces the history of string-based, bow-using instruments back to their beginnings and explores the evolution of the various families of bowed instruments. The book focusses on the instruments’ use in the musical traditions of the Arab region and similar traditions in neighbouring cultures, offering an overview of how they are made and played.
In Iraqi Musical Heritage and Civilisational Communication, Dr. Muhammad Hussein Kamer, a professor of sciences and musical theory and an expert in the al-gouza and Iraqi maqam instruments, explores the subjects of cultural communication, the connection between modern and traditional music, music education, and music learning in schools. The author discusses traditional Iraqi music, focussing on the al-gouza instrument, and offers detailed studies on the Iraqi maqam, its history, types, and characteristics.
Music researcher Bassam Abdel-Sattar’s educational book The Qanun Instrument includes an introduction to the oriental instrument and its components, highlights its role in the traditional school of music, details its musical range. The publication includes lessons and technical exercises for playing the instrument, as well as a practical guide directed at musicians who play the qanun or are looking to learn it.
The collection also features The Medium in the Rules and Theories of Arabic Music, a theoretical and applied study of the rules and theories of Arabic music, written by Egyptian author Ahmed Youssef Al-Taweel, Professor and Vice Dean of the Higher Institute of Arabic Music at the Academy of Arts.
The History of Music in Arabia and Andalusia, written by Julian Ribera and translated by Hussein Hassan, is being reprinted. The book highlights the role of the Muslims of Andalusia in preserving music and passing it down to later generations, where its legacy inspired numerous European musicians.
Egyptian doctors ranked among the top five ‘joiner doctors’ who joined the UK medical workforce in 2021, according to a report released the British General Medical Council (GMC).
The GMC, a UK public body responsible for maintaining the official register of medical practitioners within the kingdom, said that Indian, Pakistani, Nigerian and Sudanese doctors were the other four nationalities in the top five who joined the kingdom’s medical system that year.
The GMC report also found that the number of Egyptian – as well as Chinese and Sudanese – doctors who joined the UK’s medical system tripled between 2017 and 2021.
It explained that the number of Egyptian doctors who joined the UK medical workforce was 435 in 2017 and increased to 765 in 2018. But, these numbers, it added, increased by almost 200 percent in the following three years on average, registering 1,301 in 2019, 1,220 in 2020, and 1,312 in 2021.
More IMGs – less UK and European
The GMC report analysed statistics related to the UK medical workforce and discussed various challenges that faced the kingdom’s medical system in 2022.
It found that the number of international medical graduates (IMGs) who joined the UK workforce in 2021 exceeded the numbers of graduates from UK and European Economic Area (EEA) who joined the kingdom’s workforce.
These increasing numbers of IMGs came primarily from doctors from South Asia, the Middle East and Africa, the report found.
Doctors from these three regions comprised 84 percent of all ‘IMG joiners’ in 2021 at 8,900 doctors, a number which actually exceeded the number of 8,200 UK graduates who joined the country’s workforce in the same year, the report added.
According to the GMC report, the ‘joiner doctor’ category includes doctors who obtained a license to practice medicine in the year before applying for a job in the UK medical system.
The single fastest route to becoming a ‘joiner doctor’ is through enrollment in the UK’s medical graduate programmes, the GMC report found.
Egyptian doctors: Challenges and solutions
In recent decades, Egyptian doctors have faced increasing financial difficulties due to low pay as well as an increasing workload amid population growth.
According to a March 2019 study released by the ministries of health and higher education, the numbers of doctors who held a license to practice medicine in Egypt were estimated at 212,000 in 2018, with 82,000 of them – or 38 percent of the total – working in hospitals, both public and private.
The study also found there was an average of 8.6 doctors for every 10,000 citizen – or one doctor for every 1,162 citizen, when the global average was 23 doctors for every 10,000 citizen – or one doctor for every 434.
The Egyptian Medical Syndicate, which represents the country’s doctors, said in a report in April of this year that the doctor-to-citizen ratio improved to 9.2 doctors for every 10,000 citizen by March 2022 but remained far short of the global average.
The syndicate also said that 11,536 doctors resigned from the Egyptian public health sector from 2019 through March 2022.
Though these numbers do not represent more than five percent of the total of practicing physicians in the country, still, they have pushed many in the public to call on the government to improve the work conditions and salaries for doctors in order to stop any “doctors exodus” – real or not – and prevent any acute shortages that could impact the health system adversely.
The government has responded to these public calls by increasing the number of medicine faculties in the last few years in order to graduate more physicians.
It has also increased spendingon the health sector to EGP 128 billion in the budget for the FY 2022/23 up from EGP 108 billion in 2021/2022 – an 18.5 percent increase.
In 2021, the government, as per President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s directives, raised salaries and allowances for doctors and nurses in the public health sector by 75 percent.
Last August, President El-Sisi also instructed the government to offer financial incentive package for medical staff to improve their work conditions and raise their incomes.
Egyptian doctors check a patient s X-ray at the infectious diseases unit of the Imbaba Hospital in Cairo, during the novel coronavirus pandemic crisis. (AFP)
The next edition of Top Model of Universe will be held in Marrakech.
Morocco’s young model Ilias Senhaji has won the title of “Top Model of the Universe 2022’’ in a competition held in Istanbul to select the future faces of the fashion world.
A statement by the organizers added that the 17-year-old Russian-Moroccan model is the face of the Moroccan fashion house Calamain and was first discovered at the Morocco Fashion Week in Marrakech in June 2022.
The next edition of “Top Model of Universe’’ will be held in Marrakech, says the statement.
Also present at the event was the popular Moroccan designerWafaa Idrissi.
The iconic Moroccan caftan designer debuted a new collection during the event consisting of “beautiful white caftans with gold embroidery thread, accented with pearls and Swarovski crystals, handmade by Moroccan artisans.”
Idrissi recently showcased a set of inspiring caftan designs at The Oriental Fashion Show. Most of her designs were laced with golden and vibrant motifs, with one of her pieces also featuring a veil.
Moroccan women have also excelled in several international beauty pageants.
Morocco’s Marwa Lahlou was crowned Miss Arab USA in August. Lahlou graduated with a honors degree from the University of New Haven with an MBA in International Business Management and Marketing. Additionally, the model speaks Arabic, English, French, and Spanish.
On October 16, Moroccan-Spanish model Sarah Loinaz was crowned Miss Universe Spain 2021 at the Los Olivos Beach Resort in Costa Adeje, Tenerife, Canary Islands.
The 23- year-old model also competed at the Miss Universe 2021 pageant held in Israel.
Just when every single one of his supporters thought he would always be remembered as a cult hero and nothing else, Karim Benzema has reached the pinnacle of the sport 14 years after signing for Real Madrid labeled as the next Ronaldo Nazario. Overcoming ferocious criticism from his own fanbase and from some of his coaches during this time, Benzema carried Real Madrid to an improbable Champions League & LaLiga double all while scoring 44 goals in 46 appearances in the 2021-2022 season.
Karim Benzema has won the 2022 Ballon D’Or no less than 13 years after signing for Real Madrid. It has not been an easy path for Benzema as he had to change his style of play and prove many of his doubters wrong along the way. In those 13 years, he went from being a young, misfit player who struggled in his early days in Madrid to becoming a captain and a true leader for the biggest club in world football.
Here’s how he did it.
I. Struggles: From “The Next Ronaldo Nazario” to “The Next Anelka”
Saying that Benzema never was one of the world’s greatest strikers would be wrong. From 2009 to 2022, the French attacker went through struggles on and off the field but always showed that the talent to be one of the best was there. Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez saw that promise and raw potential and decided to visit Benzema’s home in Lyon to secure his signing in the summer of 2009.
“I was hanging out with my friends and my family called me and said: “You need to come home, Florentino is here.” I opened the door, I saw him there and I just didn’t say anything,” revealed Benzema a decade later.
Still, Benzema failed to establish himself as a regular starter for Madrid until Gonzalo Higuaín suffered a back injury in 2011. José Mourinho, who was the team’s coach back in the day, signed Emmanuel Adebayor on loan because he didn’t feel the 24-year-old Benzema could lead his offense. Mourinho even said that he would rather go hunting “with a hound” [Higuaín] but that he would have to go “with a cat.”
Thing is, Mourinho was right. Benzema was struggling on the pitch and appeared to be careless and apathetic during his first few seasons in the Spanish capital.
“My first season in Madrid, my first six months or so were very tough. I was by myself; I didn’t speak Spanish and that made it all more difficult. Furthermore, I just got to a new world, another team, another style of football. Luckily, I didn’t give up,” he said when asked about that time in an interview published this past summer.
That’s the main reason why most fans and members of the media often compared him to former Real Madrid attacker Nicolas Anelka, who signed for the club in 1999 when he was 20 years old. Anelka left Madrid after just one season having displayed some of the symptoms which kept Benzema out of the team’s starting lineup a decade later. Anelka went on to have a very solid career, but Madrid didn’t reap the benefits.
With Benzema, Florentino Pérez remained patient –perhaps the fact that he was his personal gamble gave the Frenchman a longer leash– and decided to keep trusting his potential knowing that Real Madrid had another historically great player who could lead the team towards the most successful period in the history of the club.
II. Stability without stardom: Cristiano’s Sidekick and the BBC years
While Benzema showed real moments of brilliance during Mourinho’s tenure in the Spanish capital (2010-2013), even scoring 28 goals across all competitions during the 2011-12 season, he always was behind Gonzalo Higuaín in the depth chart.
When Mourinho left the club in 2013, Real Madrid decided to sell the Argentinian striker to Napoli and gave Benzema the chance to be an undisputed starter under new coach Carlo Ancelotti and alongside two great scorers like Cristiano Ronaldo and new signing Gareth Bale. The ‘BBC’ was born.
Ancelotti then created a new role for Benzema, the role he played for most of his career: The 9.5. the French striker wasn’t playing as a false nine, but he was a playmaker through the center-forward position. There, Benzema would often receive the ball and assist to either Ronaldo or Bale while drifting to both flanks to create space for them to finish plays in the center of the attacking line. Ronaldo and Bale were ruthless finishers during these years, but Benzema deserves credit for making their jobs way easier.
“When Cristiano Ronaldo played for Real Madrid, he scored 50 to 60 goals a year. So, my moves were to give him an advantage on the field, generate spaces, because I passed the ball well in the opponent’s area. He was much more effective than I was,” said Benzema earlier this year.
The team won La Décima (their tenth Champions League trophy) and the Copa del Rey during that first season. Ancelotti left the club a year later, but his successor Zinedine Zidane kept the same offensive system going and conquered a historic three-peat with Benzema being the facilitator for Ronaldo and Bale.
Even if Benzema wasn’t focusing on scoring goals, he still found the back of the net 28 times in just 34 appearances back in 2015-16. He was delivering. Zidane being his childhood hero and one of football’s greatest players of all time, the French attacker spent time after every training session working and polishing his game with his coach, with his idol.
Everything changed in 2017-18. Real Madrid struggled immensely throughout the season and didn’t even compete for LaLiga against Barcelona. Benzema had one of his worst campaigns as a Real Madrid player and scored only 12 goals. Somehow, the team managed to win the third consecutive Champions League title and completing the aforementioned three-peat, but both Cristiano Ronaldo and Zidane felt like it was the end of an era and decided to leave the club.
“Every year is the same. I play football to make history. Sometimes people don’t get what I do on the field but I’m here to help my teammates. Of course, I always want to score goals, but sometimes that’s not possible,” said Benzema in 2018, the first campaign without Cristiano Ronaldo and the first time he scored 30 goals in his career. After years of being a playmaker for Ronaldo, Real Madrid needed Benzema to score. He delivered.
III. Mentoring the new generation during Real Madrid’s rebuild
Benzema faced ferocious criticism from his own fanbase during the first few months of the 2018-19 season. The fans at the Santiago Bernabéu appeared to think that he was to blame for the team’s struggles last year. He was never a fan favorite. In 2016, the crowd whistled when he was about to take a penalty-kick, singing Álvaro Morata’s name as they wanted the homegrown attacker to take it instead.
When Ronaldo left the club, Benzema accepted the challenge and realized the fact that he had to score more goals. He rose to the occasion while other attackers like Marco Asensio or even Gareth Bale appeared unwilling to embrace more responsibilities in the offense.
That first season was terrible for the club, even if Benzema scored 30 goals and delivered 9 assists. Zidane’s successor Julen Lopetegui was sacked after just a couple of months and former Real Madrid player and current Castilla coach Santiago Solari was appointed as an interim coach for the remainder of the season, until Zidane made his return to the club just a year after his resignation.
Benzema kept doing his thing and scoring at a solid rate during those seasons but now he was also a mentor for two talented prospects signed from Brazilian football: Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes.
It wasn’t a very successful era for Madrid, but they did conquer the 2019-20 LaLiga title with brilliant performances from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Benzema himself in the condensed schedule after the Covid pandemic.
In the summer of 2021, Zidane left the club for good and a familiar face returned to the Bernabéu. Ancelotti was back. What followed during the next few months will be remembered as one of the most memorable seasons in the history of the club.
IV. Benzema unchained: Carrying Madrid towards a historic double
44 goals in 46 appearances. 15 goals in the Champions League. A hat-trick to rescue his team and advance to the next round in the return leg against Paris Saint-Germain. A hat-trick against Chelsea in the first leg of the Quarterfinals at Stamford Bridge. 10 goals in the 7 do-or-die knockout games in the biggest club competition in the world. Greatness.
Benzema overperformed his xG (expected goals) in 12 goals last season. Courtois and Vinicius were also instrumental in the team’s success and performed better than the French striker in the Champions League Final, but Benzema was historically great all season long with his scoring but also with his playmaking, which helped Vinicius become the player he is today.
It took Benzema a while to get where he stands today, and it would be fair to say that nobody saw this kind of greatness coming from him. In fact, Florentino Perez would have likely replaced him with other strikers had he not been his protégé, his personal signing. None of that matters now. Benzema stayed and he delivered big time in a season where his team needed him the most.
He was hands down the best player in the world of football during the 2021-22 season. He earned every bit of this Ballon D’Or and every single madridista should be proud of him and proud of having him wearing the captain’s armband. They saw Benzema grow into the player, the leader, the captain, the mentor and the man he is today.
“I play for the ones who like and understand football.” Benzema transcended that quote last season and played for every single football viewer around the world, casual or not. He finally earned global recognition.
Karim Benzema is now a Ballon D’Or winner. The world’s greatest
source/content: managingmadrid.com / Lucas Navarrete (headline edited)
