Benzema won his first Ballon d'Or award on Monday, after leading Real Madrid to the Champions League trophy, La Liga Santander, Supercopa de Espana and UEFA Super Cup.
One of the people who played an important role in Benzema's career at Real Madrid was Jose Mourinho, who coached Los Blancos for three seasons between 2010 and 2013.
"Karim is a great person, a team man," Mourinho told L'Equipe, recalling the moments together.
"He's not obsessed with himself, he's not obsessed with the Ballon d'Or, he's not an obsessed person to score more goals than A, B or C.
"He's just a team man doing a lot of things, so the Ballon d'Or is a natural consequence. I think he's a man whose team is obsessed with it."
"The Ballon d'Or is a natural consequence of its extraordinary development, not the result of a personal obsession."
Mourinho admits that he continues to push Benzema's limits because he believes in his players' potential and wants to help him thrive.
"When I became his coach, he was a very talented player, looking for his identity as a highest level player, with the right ambition and proper physical condition," added Mourinho.
"I want him to grow as fast as he can and I'm tough on him.
"I corrected it in every little detail, slightly extra-kilo and a little late in practice.
"I don't know if I'm influencing its development, only he knows, but his very strong character allows him to thrive.
I am very happy for him. Over the past four or five years he has been a man, a leader at important times to make history.
"He is a phenomenal footballer at the peak of his potential, physically, mentally, and tactically."
Mourinho then praised Benzema's versatility and explained which attributes made the Frenchman special compared to other world-class players.
"Karim is a versatile player," said Mourinho.
If there are three Karims in the big team, they will all play: one will be a striker, the other a leader, the last one will play on the left wing.
"I'm very happy because sometimes the Ballon d'Or only recognizes pure talent.
This one crowns the talents of individuals and a man who always defends the essence of football: collective.
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