Karim Benzema and his goalscoring explosion at Real Madrid
Karim Benzema, a world-class player of unquestionable quality, an attacker who plays the game as a playmaking midfielder and who has the eye for goal of the most established centre-forwards, took over the Real Madrid front line after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and now the Merengues are seeing their goalscoring prowess sustained thanks to the Algerian-born Frenchman.
Benzema lived in the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo while the Portuguese star was scoring goals per game during his time at Real Madrid, and even in the early years of his career there were discussions about his starting place due to his supposed lack of goals and the competition he faced with Argentine Gonzalo Higuain. Many recognised the Frenchman's quality, but criticised him for a certain indolence and lack of killer instinct in the box.
After Higuaín's sale to Napoli, the French international settled into Madrid's starting eleven, but as a generator of combinative play and as the main assistant to a Cristiano Ronaldo who was racking up goals and Ballon d'Or awards. The two were the main protagonists of a Real Madrid forward line, along with Gareth Bale when the Welshman was at his physical best, which accumulated Champions League titles that have raised the Madrid legend in Europe's top club competition even higher, with up to 13 Champions League trophies.
And so the years passed until 2018, when Cristiano Ronaldo left for Juventus after Real Madrid won their 13th Champions League title in Kiev (the fourth in five years at the time for Real Madrid, then coached by Zinedine Zidane).
After the Portuguese's departure, Karim Benzema stepped up and took the lead up front, while Welshman Gareth Bale faded amid a lack of good performances and regular fitness problems. Despite the gap left by Cristiano, who went on to score 451 goals in 438 official games for Madrid (an average of just over a goal per game), Benzema stepped up and has added to his usual combination play, dribbling and offensive flow generation a goalscoring ferocity that has established him as perhaps the best striker at present alongside Kylian Mbappé, who is reportedly very close to joining the club, as various media have reported.
The French striker has already scored 22 goals in La Liga this year and is close to thirty goals in the league competition in a season, something that only Real Madrid legends Alfredo di Stéfano, Hugo Sánchez and the aforementioned Cristiano Ronaldo have achieved. In the Champions League this season he has accumulated 8 goals, after the impressive hat trick against PSG, something that has already put him in the international football spotlight, if he wasn't already.
Absolutely impressive figures. He is playing a key role alongside Vinicius in the attack to keep Madrid at the top of the table, who are on the verge of their 35th league title, and he was already vital as the team's top scorer in winning the last white league in 2020. On the other hand, a sign of his associative play and his influence in the attack is that he has already provided seven assists this season in La Liga, a characteristic that has always been linked to his style of play.
In recent seasons, Benzema has systematically surpassed the twenty goals mark as Madrid's top goalscorer. In La Liga, Benzema has a total of 214 goals and is ahead of only Di Stéfano (216), Raúl (228) and Cristiano (312) in the all-time scoring charts, which places him in the Real Madrid Olympus. In all competitions with Real Madrid, Karim Benzema has 311 goals and is only ahead of Raúl González with 323 and Cristiano Ronaldo with 451.
Benzema always adopted a profile marked by companionship and did not want to have more prominence despite being somewhat in the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo. He accepted that role and has always been a team player and a team-mate to be associated with on the pitch, despite being one of the highest quality players on the international football scene. Now that he has taken on a leading role, he also retains a modest and committed profile with what for him is the best club in the world (and for many).
Benzema joined Real Madrid in 2009 from Olympique Lyon for 35 million euros. He arrived the same season that Cristiano Ronaldo and another star of the moment, Brazilian Kaka, joined the club. But the signing of the French international was even more special because the Madrid president himself, Florentino Pérez, was personally involved in the transfer as he was in love with the Frenchman's game. Florentino Perez went to his home in Lyon to talk to him and his family and persuade him to join the Chamartin club. The Madrid president was not mistaken, he signed a striker who has brought a lot of attacking football to Madrid, a beautiful game, commitment and, in recent years, even goalscoring figures that put him on a par with the top European strikers.
A player, a striker who has already entered with golden letters in the history of Real Madrid and who will continue to write important pages in the Chamartín club, which has already completed 120 years of football history at the highest level with world class players and titles.