Social media users praised Real Madrid star, Frenchman Karim Benzema, after he helped a Paralympic champion put on her shoe that had come off during the kickoff in the match between "Los Merengues" and Villarreal on Saturday. Spanish Paralympic athlete Susana Rodríguez Gacio was chosen to perform the kickoff for the Real Madrid vs. Villarreal match at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. According to the Spanish newspaper "Faro de Vigo," Susana was selected to celebrate her recent achievement at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, where she won gold in the "triathlon."
After she accompanied Benzema onto the pitch, Susana kicked the ball, causing her shoe to fly away, prompting the star of the royal club to rush to return it to her in a moment widely praised on social media.
Real Madrid missed the chance to top the Spanish La Liga by five points, as they drew 0-0 with Villarreal. Coach Carlo Ancelotti's team retained the lead with 17 points from seven matches, three points ahead of defending champions Atlético Madrid, who unexpectedly lost 1-0 to Alavés.
Real keeper Thibaut Courtois commented, "This point feels mixed because it's at home against a direct competitor and we wanted to get all three points in such matches. One point isn't what we wanted." He added, "Keeping a clean sheet is good considering we conceded goals in the last few matches," as reported by Reuters. He continued, "We wanted to press the opponent high up the pitch, but they dealt with it well in the first half, and it was difficult to pass the ball forward. We lacked passing precision in many matches… but this happens."
