Real Madrid must shell out €1million to French club Lyon due to a clause in Karim Benzema's contract after the striker won his maiden Ballon d'Or crown on Monday evening.
The striker joined the Spanish giants in 2009 from Lyon and he has gone on to score 328 first-team goals for the club in the 13 years since – the second-highest in the club's history, behind only his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
Benzema was the star for Los Blancos last season as he bagged multiple goals as they beat Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Man City on their way to securing their 14th European title. Carlo Ancelotti's side claimed the crown after defeating Liverpool in the Champions League final – with the striker viewed as the player of the tournament.
It was a hugely successful season for Madrid, winning the major titles both domestically and in Europe – with those triumphs reflected in the Ballon d'Or gala as Benzema scooped the major prize while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois bagged the Kopa Trophy for the best goalkeeper of the year.
However, a clause struck between the clubs when Benzema moved to the Spanish capital from Lyon in 2009 means that Real Madrid will have to pay €1m (£870k) to the Ligue 1 club as that was the add-on included for winning the Ballon d'Or crown.
As quoted by L'Equipe, Lyon's president Jean-Michel Aulas has spoken of the club's joy at Benzema's success: "It is an immense pride with a lot of emotion because Karim is a child of Lyon. He is a child that we have seen grow up and that we have seen flourish. We have seen him succeed in almost everything he has undertaken.
Have Your Say! Where does Benzema rank among the century's great strikers? Tell us what you think here.
"And then that is partly for us, as we not only hired him since his first contracts, he signed them with us – that is a source of pride. Pride imprinted with a message, that of being an example and a leader because having a youngster like Karim who only plays two clubs in his entire career is special."
Aulas continued: "He chose Real Madrid because I remember him saying to me: 'If there are several proposals, it's really Real Madrid that I would like to go.' Beyond his life as a footballer, he managed a life as a man who is exemplary for all young people who admire what he has done and who are eager to be like him."
Benzema had netted 66 goals in just over four seasons at Lyon, where he was an academy graduate and established himself as a first-team star and France international prior to his switch to Madrid.
