Karim Benzema has been one of the most complete strikers of this generation, winning the Champions League 5 times with Real Madrid, he has also won the Ballon d’Or earning him a legendary status.
But then why is Benzema nicknamed El Gato which is the Spanish word for a cat?
Why is Benzema nicknamed EL Gato?
El Gato is a Spanish translation for “the cat.” Benzema got this nickname in 2011 from the then Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho referred to the Frenchmen as a cat during a press conference with the Spanish media. This metaphor was not a positive one, though, with the Portuguese manager using it as a way to display his frustration with the player.
Why did Mourinho call Benzema El Gato?
Back in 2011, Jose Mourinho referred to Benzema as El Gato in a press conference. He stated, “If I can’t hunt with a dog, I will hunt with a cat. With a dog you hunt more, and you hunt better. But if you have not got a dog, and you have got a cat, you hunt with a cat”.
How did Benzema respond to Mourinho?
Benzema didn’t take the manager’s word lightly he believed that Mourinho was undermining his footballing abilities when making these comments. Following the press conference, the Frenchman claimed that his relationship with Mourinho declined significantly.
Speaking to the French media, the striker claimed “We always had a good relationship, but after that, there were expressions and statements that were not necessarily well intended.”
“I had the impression that it made him laugh. Even if he’s someone I respect, after a while, I started to lose it,”
Benzema then knocked on his manager’s door to have a conversation about what had happened. “I told him what I had to say, which took an hour. ‘I’m a football player, you’re my manager, I respect you, respect me as a player” the Frenchman explained.
After the confrontation, the respect between both Benzema and Mourinho increased and they were back on the same page again.
However, the Media still refer to Benzema as El Gato because they seem to enjoy it when players acquire new nicknames and like to refer to the players by their nicknames, one of the biggest example is Lionel Messi being called ‘La Pulga’.
Conclusion:
Jose Mourinho’s nickname for Karim Benzema, “El Gato” (The Cat), initially stemmed from frustration rather than admiration. The comparison to a cat, irked Benzema, leading to a confrontation and subsequent resolution with Mourinho.
Despite the negative origin, the media has embraced the nickname, contributing to the enduring legacy of “El Gato” in football culture.
