Karim Benzema says he is not concerned about the whistles and jeers a section of the Real Madrid fans have aimed at him recently.
The French striker, who on Tuesday scored Madrid’s 1000th goal in European competition, told Radio Montecarlo that the demands of wearing the No 9 shirt at the Santiago Bernabeu are greater than anywhere else, and that all the club’s great players have been jeered in the past.
“I’m at a big club and a lot is expected of me. I’m a Real Madrid striker and that means I must score in every game. That’s how it is.
“I was jeered last season and it has happened to Iker Casillas. All the greats who have played for Real Madrid have been jeered: [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Zinedine] Zidane….
“It’s not a problem for me and I’ll continue to work hard to change the situation around. When my career is over we’ll talk about what I’ve won.
“I play for a massive club and know the expectations are high, but I don’t let it get to me. I just concentrate on playing.
“I love football and I’m at the biggest club in the world,” insisted Benzema, who also commented on Los Blancos’ poor start to the season.
“We’ve lost two consecutive games in the League, which means there is going to be a bit of tension around.
“But in the Champions League [against Basel] we had the heart to show we can win and we were the better team. That’s what we do,” he asserted.
