Why Is Benzema Called El Gato?
Real Madrid, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Real Madrid and French international striker Karim Benzema has been a prolific goalscorer for the majority of his career, but why does Benzema have the nickname ‘El Gato’? In this Elastico article, we discuss when the nickname originated, which football manager gave the forward the nickname and more.
Read on to learn everything there is to know about this unusual nickname.
Table of Contents
Why Is Benzema Called El Gato?
Karim Benzema has the nickname ‘El Gato’ because in 2011, Real Madrid manager José Mourinho referred to the striker 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.
What Does ‘El Gato’ Mean?
‘El Gato’ is the Spanish translation for ‘the cat’.
When Did Benzema’s El Gato Nickname Originate?
Back in 2011, Real Madrid manager José Mourinho referred to Benzema as ‘El Gato’ during a press conference with the Spanish media. He stated that “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”.
Benzema 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 that “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,” he added.
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 conversation, the level of respect between both professionals seemed to increase, and there were no more references to cats or dogs. However, since then, various media outlets and pundits have still referred to Benzema as ‘El Gato’ on occasion.
During this sequence of events, Benzema openly admitted that he is a shy person, but he feels the need to speak his mind when necessary. He believes that when people speak their minds, things always turn out for the better.
Does Benzema’s Playing Style Resemble a Cat?
It’s hard to say, but during an interview with La Gazetta dello Sport, the French forward said, “Mourinho called me a cat to motivate me to improve, and to make me more aggressive, to let out the anger I had inside of me.“
According to Marca, Mourinho made an example of the striker in front of his team-mates one morning at training, saying “If it was just for you, I would make training at midday because you arrive at 10 o’clock half asleep and then by 11 you are already sleeping again.” which is a further nod to the “El Gato” nickname, because cats enjoy sleeping.
Seemingly, Mourinho wanted Benzema to play more like a dog, to be more aggressive, in order to unlock his true potential. It’s safe to say that the striker did that, especially after Mourinho left the club, so maybe the Portuguese “Special One” is the person to thank.
Why Does Spanish TV Still Refer to Benzema as El Gato?
News and media outlets enjoy it when football clubs and players acquire a new nickname, similar to Lionel Messi’s nickname ‘La Pulga’. A player like Benzema is regularly in the media spotlight, winning the coveted Ballon d’Or in 2022, so a nickname provides news presenters and journalists another way to refer to the French striker.
Conclusion
Karim Benzema has been referred to as “El Gato” by José Mourinho and the Spanish media since 2011. Mourinho referred to Benzema as ‘the Cat’ in order to describe how he was feeling about the performances of his striker at the time, expressing that he wanted him to perform more like an aggressive dog instead.
A positive conversation between Mourinho and Benzema following the infamous press conference somewhat improved their relationship, but didn’t kill off the nickname from being used.
We hope that you enjoyed this Elastico article and learned something new today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is Nicknamed El Gato?
The nickname El Gato has been associated with two footballers – Omar Ortiz and Karim Benzema. Goalkeeper Ortiz received the nickname due to his “feline face” and green eyes, meanwhile Benzema received it due to José Mourinho comparing his performances to that of a cat.
What Are Benzema’s Nicknames?
Karim Benzema has been called a number of nicknames throughout his career, with the two main ones being “Coco” and “El Gato”.
At the age of eight, Benzema started playing football for his hometown team Bron Terraillon SC. During his time there, he earned the nickname “Coco” from his peers.
