Fans saw Karim Benzema accept the Ballon d'Or without his signature bandage, there's a reason he wears it

Karim Benzema had a slightly different look on Monday night as he accepted the Ballon d'Or, as he appeared without his signature bandage, but why does he wear it?

There was very little doubt in Paris that Benzema would walk away with the golden ball trophy, for the best men's player on the planet for the previous season.

The 34-year-old forward scored the winning goals in the Champions League last 16, quarter finals and semi finals, as Real Madrid were crowned European champions for the 13th time.

Once Real had beaten Liverpool in the final in Paris, and with the award now done by season rather than calendar year, Thierry Henry called on Football France for him to be named the winner.

That came to pass, with Sadio Mane in second and Kevin de Bruyne in third, and Benzema picked up the award from a very happy Zinedine Zidane.

Benzema was looking sharp on the stage as he accepted the award, and thanked all his teammates and those who'd helped him on his way to his 'dream.'

Some fans noticed that he wasn't wearing the bandages he's usual sporting during matches, which cover his right hand, something they're not used to seeing him without.

And it's not just habit that leads to the former Lyon man to wear the bandage, but it's actually from an injury he sustained in January 2019, in a game against Real Betis.

He didn't go for surgery straight away, following the clash with Marc Bartra, deciding instead to wait until the end of the season, as to not leave the team short of his goalscoring expertise.

After the surgery that summer, Benzema rushed back and got another knock to the hand, leaving him needing surgery once again.

Another surgery would keep him out for months and he has so far decided against doing it, with so little time to do so, especially now he's back in the France team.

The striker even confirmed his reasons in a press conference early last season, saying, "I did have surgery, but the problem is that you need to be out for two months and I wanted to stay with my teammates

"I then injured it again, but now I don't have time to have another surgery so that's why I play with a bandage."

There has been somewhat of a lucky charm essence to the bandage as well, with the striker scoring six times in four games after he started wearing it.

In the three years since first injuring himself, he's arguably been in the best form of his life, reaching its crescendo at the back end of last season, and the Ballon d'Or which came after.

Former Real Madrid stars Jose Antonio Camacho and Chendo also wore bandages during their time at the Bernabeu, but this has nothing to do with why Benzema does.

If Benzema's superpowers into his 30s have come from wearing the bandage then clearly it's got to be one of the best injuries in the history of football.