On Valentine’s Day 2023, Real Madrid’s striker Karim Benzema pulled off an incredible hattrick by sending flowers to three different women. The three women include his current girlfriend Jordan Ozuna, his first wife Chloé de Launay, and his second wife Cora Gauthier. The Ballon d’Or winner’s grand gesture has garnered mixed reactions, with some people applauding his romantic nature, while others criticize him for juggling multiple relationships.
Karim Benzema’s relationship with Jordan Ozuna has been in the public eye for a while now, with the couple making no attempt to hide their affection for each other. Despite the initial efforts to stay out of the public eye, the couple now flaunts their love everywhere, even wearing matching Tiffany bracelets worth $40,000 after the Ballon d’Or ceremony. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Benzema sent Ozuna a bouquet of flowers on Valentine’s Day, as he continues to express his love for her publicly.
The recipient of the second bouquet of flowers from Karim Benzema was his first wife, Chloé de Launay. Despite their separation, it’s evident that Benzema still holds a special place for her in his heart. The couple shares a child, Melia, and Benzema likely sent flowers to de Launay as a sign of appreciation for their past together.
Cora Gauthier, Benzema’s ex-girlfriend and mother of his son Ibrahim was the recipient of the third bouquet of flowers. Benzema’s relationship with Gauthier had been kept under wraps, with very little information available on their relationship. Nonetheless, it’s clear that Benzema has a good relationship with her and their child, as evidenced by their joint training sessions.
Rihanna, who was rumoured to be dating Benzema a few years ago, was unsurprisingly and thankfully left out of this flower ceremony. The megastar who conducted the Super Bowl halftime show is pregnant with her second child with ASAP Rocky, and it probably would not have gone down well if Benzema was seen sending flowers to this lost love of his too.
Some have criticized his actions as being unethical, considering that he’s juggling multiple relationships. Some argue that Benzema’s public persona and status as a wealthy footballer afford him the luxury of having multiple relationships. And some just hail him as a king for pulling off this incredible feat.
Either way, all would agree that this celebration is a lot more preferable than the situation fellow footballer Gerard Pique finds himself in. In stark contrast to Karim Benzema’s Valentine’s Day extravaganza, the holiday turned out to be unfortunate for Shakira and Pique.
The Colombian pop star and the ex-Barcelona player, who once were one of the most popular celebrity couples in the world, confirmed their breakup in June last year. Since then, the two have been embroiled in a custody dispute, and Shakira has taken a series of jibes at her ex-partner, allegedly for cheating on her. On Valentine’s Day, Shakira took another dig at Pique by posting a video of herself lip-syncing to SZA’s hit track Kill Bill, where she says “I might kill my ex”.
While Benzema had his hands full sending bouquets of flowers to three different women, Pique slept with one eye open to make sure Shakira did not kill him in his sleep. This valentine’s day was full of surprises for the football world, and Benzema was on top of it.
