Karim Benzema had a long wait before taking the throne at Real Madrid, but now he is the absolute king, with a gleaming crown, scepter in hand and successfully leading a royal visit to Stamford Bridge.
‘King Karim’ is now an icon, which seemed impossible a decade ago, as his former partner, Cristiano Ronaldo, captured all the attention and honors in Madrid.
Benzema worked hard like a horse, often on the wing, to serve the Portugal striker, who is the all-time top scorer The whites with 450 goals. His chance to shine only came when Ronaldo left for Juventus 2018 yesterday.
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And the French striker took it easy, becoming “the best striker in the world” according to coach Carlo Ancelotti and be seeded in the race for the 2022 Ballon d’Or.
Benzema leads the top scorer charts in Spanish La Liga with 24 goals, 10 more than Juanmi, Raul de Tomas, Enes Unal and team-mate Vinicius Junior, who all drew in second place.
His goal gave Madrid a tough lead, 12 points clear at the top of the table, with eight games remaining.
Benzema also did comeback impressive on the international stage at Euro 2020 (which was held in mid-2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic), and will again become a pillar of France at the 2022 World Cup Qatar.
The day after the final, December 19, 2022, he will be 35 years old, a fact that makes his performance even more mind-boggling. At a time when most players his age began to decline, Benzema actually soared.
last weekend, brace the one he scored from the spot helped Madrid overtake Celta Vigo and maintain their lead at the top of La Liga, while his best individual moment came last March, against Paris Saint-Germain at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Benzema’s spectacular 17-minute hat-trick helped Real Madrid come back from 2-0 down (on aggregate) to knock PSG out of the European Champions League in the last 16, with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe forced to bite their teeth.
The party narrative revolves around the latter, with Mbappe strongly predicted to be at Madrid next season after his contract expires, although reports in France suggest he has changed his mind and signed a new contract with the Ligue 1 giants.
Mbappe scored goals for PSG in both legs and made the defense The whites distraught, but ‘King Karim’ completely changed the course of the game.
If – or when – Mbappe joined Madrid, he would play alongside Benzema instead of replacing him. The 34-year-old striker still has a lot to offer, and doesn’t look like he’s going to give up the spotlight after living in the shadows for too long.
Ronaldo’s presence dwarfs Benzema, and it should not be surprising given the Portuguese forward’s prowess and how much he is revered in the Spanish capital.
Benzema was tasked with being Ronaldo’s supply line and his unselfishness and quality helped the now-returned Manchester United striker to his peak, winning four of his five Ballon d’Or collections at Real Madrid.
Ronaldo is also widely seen as the protagonist of Madrid when they won four European Champions Leagues in five years, while Benzema is only one of the supporting roles.
But it must be said, he played the role perfectly, and without complaining. An asset underrated who has lasted longer than eight Real Madrid managers since arriving at the Bernabeu in 2009 (Manuel Pellegrini, Jose Mourinho, Ancelotti’s first tenure, Rafael Benitez, Julen Lopetegui, Santiago Solari and the two Zinedine Zidane regimes).
The key to Benzema’s longevity at Madrid and how he is now playing the ‘killer’ role for them is his adaptability and mindsetits flexible.
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“When Ronaldo played for Real Madrid, he scored 50 to 60 goals a year,” Benzema told France Soccer last January. “So you have to adapt to this reality.”
“I had to move more on the pitch, give him space. When he left, what changed was that it was time for me to take over, score goals and provide assists for my other team-mates.”
While Benzema doesn’t exactly match Ronaldo’s horror in front of goal, he can bring creativity to the team, leading the La Liga assists ladder with 11 goals.
Benzema currently sits in third place for Real Madrid’s eternal top scorer with 316 goals, behind Ronaldo and only 8 points behind the legendary Raul Gonzalez.
Alfredo di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Hugo Sanchez, Emilio Butragueno et al have been knocked down, and Benzema has not shown any signs of releasing his foot on the gas pedal.
If Benzema had taken Ronaldo’s 91 penalties for Madrid, plus Sergio Ramos’ 26, he would be the all-time top scorer. The whites. But he’s a stupid time.
“Besides the stats, scoring more goals, I don’t see anything change in my football,” Benzema added. “I’m still the same player. Move, create, play one touch.”
“We no longer see what a player does on the pitch, we only see who scores goals. And the next day, he is considered the best.”
“It happened to me – if I don’t play well but score goals, they think I’m the best.”
With his goal taps seemingly non -stop, the awards also came alternately. The interview is together France Soccer is in celebration of him being named the best French player in 2021.
Benzema plays an important role helping Blues won the UEFA Nations League last October, scored twice and was crowned man of the match against Spain in the final.
With his country, he formed a deadly duet with Mbappe. At club level, his partnership with Vinicius Junior was also key for Real Madrid and helped Benzema maintain his best form.
After being let down by Luka Jovic and Eden Hazard, Benzema has finally found a partner he can trust in himself winger young Brazilian.
Uniquely, Vinicius can be said to help serve Benzema like Benzema used to serve Ronaldo. But King Karim is a wise king who until now still happily serves his attacking partner.
But their relationship did not start well. Benzema was caught criticizing Vinicius by stadium cameras during the interval of an October 2020 match, something Benzema claims was an assist in a different way.
“With just two three comments, two three moves, I showed direction, especially in the last 20 meters,” he explained.
“He has to decide for himself, a cross to provide an assist is not just a pass, look up first, and he does it all.”
“Now, he’s Vinicius. I played with great players as a child, I had to see them and swallow information quickly. I learned to play with my head. Analyze the play of my team-mates.”
Brilliant as the foundation of Madrid’s attack while being supported by Vinicius, who is very agile and dynamic in order to match Benzema’s sweet technique and creative vision, both of them became Madrid’s ultimate weapon when they managed to revolt by knocking out Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea with a score of 3-1.
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