sHe won’t be remembered for the final, but his 2021-2022 Champions League campaign will go on to become one of his most successful solo career. By coming with Real Madrid at the end of Liverpool’s match on Saturday night at the Stade de France (win 1-0), Karim Benzema adds the Champions League title for the fifth time to his already imposed treasury of titles. With thirty trophies on the clock, the Lyon-trained striker holds one of the biggest records in French football. But specifically, in the Pantheon of the Blues, in the middle of Raymond Cuba, or Zinedine Zidane, or Michel Platini or Thierry Henry, where is Karim Benzema located?
“The only non-single number 9”
He thought that Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Real Madrid in 2018 would be a certain difficulty for him. Often presented as a complete striker who knows how to create and pass but is not necessarily the leading scorer in the penalty area, Karim Benzema has managed to reinvent himself not to be in the shadow of the big ones. For four years and the Portuguese’s departure, he always topped twenty La Liga goals. This season is his best statistically: 27 achievements in the Spanish championship, but also 15 on the continental scene. “I became the nine I wanted to be,” the Real Madrid striker said at the start of the year. the team. A striker with a more visible sense of team than other strikers of his era, as Jose Mourinho, his former coach, put it, “is perhaps the only non-individual No 9”.
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– France national team ⭐⭐ (equipedefrance) May 28, 2022
If we see players aging better and better like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, this new dimension to Benzema is illustrated by his performances in the Champions League. Decisive against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea with three goals, and also participated in the final qualifiers against Manchester City, embodying Real Madrid that never gives up. A decisive campaign now opens the doors to the most prestigious individual prizes. Speaking on Canal +’s microphone, the Real Madrid player said: “To be the top scorer in the Champions League is exceptional. But the most important thing for me is to win the Champions League for the fifth time. If the Golden Ball is in the back of my mind? Definitely, I finished the season, now I’ll make the choice. But I think at the club I can’t do better. Now we’ll see what happens, but I’m proud of what I’ve achieved.”
The World Cup in Qatar justice for peace?
On October 17, Karim Benzema could become the fifth French player to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin and Zinedine Zidane. If this is necessarily a major achievement, we can’t help but imagine ourselves, especially a month after the World Cup in Qatar. To beat his illustrious elders, the forward, who made 94 appearances for France, needs this trophy of choice to close the debate. Even if the League of Nations wins in 2021 it is a wonderful bonus, it does not equal the taste of the Euro or the World Cup.
Read alsoUEFA Champions League: How did Benzema reach his peak?
It is the next World Cup that will choose between Karim Benzema and the former great players of the France national team. At the club, his longevity at Real Madrid with 13 seasons where he saw many strikers in competition (Higuain, Chicharito, Adebayor, Morata, Jovic and many more) without ever giving up his place showed his good aura. Last March, thanks to a double against Mallorca, he became the French top scorer in history, in all competitions, ahead of Thierry Henry. There is another difference that can weigh in the scale relative to the previous June.
