French footballer Mathieu Valbuena, who was blackmailed by Karim Benzema and others, has shared his thoughts on the Real Madrid striker's 2022 Ballon d'Or award win.
In November 2021, A French court found Benzema guilty of being complicit in an extortion attempt against Valbuena. The Los Blancos talisman along with five others are understood to have stolen a sex-tape from the former France midfielder's phone in 2015 and decided to blackmail him with the release of the video.
Benzema was not accused of being responsible for the attempted wrongdoing, but rather conspiring with the blackmailers by pressuring his then-national team colleague to pay the perpetrators the money they were demanding.
The saga resulted in the marksman being frozen out of the Les Bleus squad for five-and-half years, which saw him omitted from the 2018 FIFA World Cup squad that was crowned champions of the tournament.
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Upon being found guilty, the 34-year-old was handed a one-year suspended prison sentenced and ordered to pay a fine of €75 000 (R1.3 million) for his role in the crime. Despite their fractured relationship, Valbuena has now congratulated his compatriot for his Golden Ball win on Monday.
"I'm happy for him because he deserves it. In life, you have to be honest. I have always known how to differentiate football from non-football," the 38-year-old Olympiacos star said.
"He had an extraordinary season, when you have been playing for a club like Real Madrid for so many years, and you are performing well, it would not be objective of me to say that he does not deserve it."
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"It's been a while since the Ballon d'Or, there was so little suspense. There it's been a few months, quite a while, that there was more suspense. It was the case and it is deserved in view of the season. The only thing I can say is that it is deserved."
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