JAKARTA - Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema have been in a successful relationship for a decade. Together, they won three Champions League titles and two La Liga titles at Real Madrid.
France's last two Ballon d'Or winners have built bonds of brotherhood beyond what can be put together on the pitch.
After Benzema won the Ballon d'Or on Monday night, Zidane praised his former students.
"I'm almost like an older brother to Karim, that's how we both like calling each other: brothers and sisters," Zidane said in an interview with L'Equipe, quoted by Marca, Tuesday.
"We have more or less the same background. He's from Lyon, I'm from Marseille... We both grew up in an environment that wasn't easy for us at first.
"We are simple young people from the suburbs who have dreams of becoming professional footballers and we achieved it with very hard work."
"We really have a lot in common, even from our origins. Our family comes from nearby villages in Algeria, little Kabylia. We've talked about it several times."
Zidane also spoke honestly about Benzema's bad times at Real Madrid, just like when he first joined and was young.
"He came very young," recalls Zidane.
"Even when he had a problem and people thought he would give up, he said to himself 'I want to win here and I will be the best'. And he managed to do it.
"Despite the great criticism and pressure at clubs like this, he never gives up, he is very strong.
"That's what I love about him. He never gives up. He let people speak and, today, his record and statistics speak for him."
Zidane has not refrained from claiming Benzema is now a legend of Real Madrid and will be remembered like that.
"He became a legend at this club, he achieved extraordinary things and will be remembered by people for a long time," said the Frenchman.
I'm happy for him because he deserves what he has won. He always has confidence, even when some people say 'Karim, he didn't score enough goals to be No. 9'.
"And it's not fair, because when he doesn't score, he always makes other people play well."
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