Benzema overjoyed with 'dream' move to Real Madrid

New Delhi: Karim Benzema was officially unveiled on Thursday by Real Madrid in front of 15,000 fans at the Santiago Bernabeu.

He took some time to speak to the Spanish press and was overjoyed that his childhood dream of playing for los Merengues has come true.

Question: You said Ronaldo was your idol. Do you think you can become the new Ronaldo?

Karim Benzema: I consider Ronaldo to be the best player in the world. He is an inspiration for me. I do not know if I will ever be at his level but he is a player I try to emulate.

Question: What did you feel when you were presented?

Karim Benzema: Real Madrid are an excellent club, one I have dreamed of playing for since I was 14 years old. To arrive here and watch this presentation was one of the reasons why I kissed the club's badge twice. It was a way to reward the greatness of Real Madrid.

Question: Can you promise the club's fans a number of goals?

Karim Benzema: I hope I will score many goals but I can't promise any numbers. I think scoring goals will be a lot easier with attacking team-mates like Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul and Kaka.

Question: You are a close friend of Zinedine Zidane's. Did he play a major role in your signing?

Karim Benzema: Zidane did not play a decisive role in my signing, but as a symbol of Real Madrid he was obviously important, but the most important person was the president, Florentino Perez.

Question: Is it true that when you arrived at Lyon, you told the older brothers you wanted take their places?

Karim Benzema: I did not say it exactly like that, with that tone. It is true that when you arrive at a team, you are asked to make a public speech, I said I was there to take their place but it was in a friendly tone.

Question: What did you feel when you heard 15,000 people roaring your name?

Karim Benzema: It was a big emotion, I am aware the supporters of the club treat the players in a special way, and I am thankful to them.

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Question: When you arrive at the Real Madrid dressing room, are you going to make a similar speech? Are you going to say you want Raul's place?

Karim Benzema: No, no, I have not come for that. I have come to a big club, with big players, I want to learn with them to improve.

Question: What did you talk to Pellegrini about when you were with him at the hotel?

Karim Benzema: It was just a moment, I just saluted him, we will have time to talk about many other things.

Question: What do you feel about arriving here? This is an important year, with the World Cup at the end of the season, what does it to mean join Real Madrid in regards to the World Cup?

Karim Benzema: I am very happy to have signed, it is true that Real Madrid are a different world. Even though Lyon are a big team, this is a totally different thing. About the World Cup, there is a lot of competition, I am in one of the biggest clubs in the world, I do not hope to play every time, I have come here to fight and to work hard and having the World Cup at the end of the year is not a problem.

Question: When Florentino Perez went to your home, what did he tell you to convince you to join the team?

Karim Benzema: He talked about the team, the project he was building, I wanted to come, so he did not have to convince me that much, he told me this was a club where they win many titles.

Question: We all know your qualities as a football player. But what are the flaws your want to improve on?

Karim Benzema: All football players have flaws, including myself, I do not know how to emphasise one, what I want to say is that I work a lot, I play with both feet, and I am very ambitious.

Question: What do you have that David Villa doesn't?

Karim Benzema: I do not want to be compared to Villa, he is a great player, one that scores 20-25 goals in the league and that is a remarkable achievement.

Question: A lot has been said about Real Madrid's attack, about Kaka, Ronaldo, Raul and yourself. What do you think of Gonzalo Higuain?

Karim Benzema: I know him, especially because he is someone of my generation, someone very young, what I can say about him is that he is a very good player, who scores many goals per season, a young person, that I am sure will evolve and improve and here we are to be teammates.

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Question: What other offers did you have on the table? And didn't it upset you that you were, so to say, Real's second choice, behind David Villa?

Karim Benzema: There were a lot of clubs that contacted me, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Barcelona, I have come here, I am a young player, I want to adapt to the the team, the environment, to claim a place in the team.

Question: You described Villa as a player that scores 20-25 goals per season. Do you see that as the minimum you want to score?

Karim Benzema: I do not set minimums or make promises but it is obvious that with this team the number of goals can be high.

Question: You were presented in a numberless shirt. Is there any particular number you would like to take?

Karim Benzema: I would like to take number 10 but I obviously have to wait for a number to be free.

Question: What do you know of Manuel Pellegrini and what do you expect from him?

Karim Benzema: He is a very good coach, he loves the attacking game, he wants his teams to score many goals. What every player expects of their coach is that he makes them play.

Question: You said you dreamed of playing for Real Madrid since you were 14 years old. Was that dream multiplied for having joined with Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo?

Karim Benzema: It is a dream realised to play in a team with these players. What can I say? Two Ballon d'Or winners. What I want is to play and I hope I will grow alongside them.

Question: How was your exit from Lyon?

Karim Benzema: I have said it in the past days: I am very happy to be at Real Madrid but also a bit said to have left Lyon.