Karim Benzema pushes his limits a little further. After an exceptional 2021-2022 season, rewarded with his first Ballon d’Or, the French striker of Real Madrid had a more complicated end to the 2022 calendar year, with an increase in muscle injuries and a missed World Cup with the Blues. But, at 35, here is “KB9” again at the top with his Real, author of two hat-tricks in four days, including that of Wednesday evening at Camp Nou in Barcelona (4-0) in the King’s Cup semi-final return.
“He turned on the light again, congratulates Carlo Ancelotti, his coach, at a press conference. The work he did during the international break (Editor’s note: March) is paying off today. With the qualities he has, when he is physically well, he makes a big difference. He can win another Ballon d’Or because he is one of the best strikers in the world. Obviously, it is very important for us. It was decisive again today, like so many other times”.
So much praise that we also find on the front page of the Spanish press. “Half of a Benzema of great occasions”, title Marca. “Three and a half goals from Benzema”, underlines AS, referring to the Frenchman’s decisive pass for his Brazilian teammate Vinicius Jr. “Spring has begun and Benzema is back and, with him, Real Madrid”, even writes the daily Catalan Mundo Deportivo. Federico Valverde, Uruguayan midfielder for Real, also compliments: “Regardless of the number of goals he scores, he is a reference for us. He always wants more.”
And the statistics confirm Benzema’s lion hunger: since his return from post-World Cup injury, he has scored 19 goals and delivered 5 assists in 19 games. Before the winter break, he had only played 12 games for 6 goals and 1 assist, hampered by his thirty-year-old body. With his recent performances, the former OL striker reminds everyone that his age means nothing and that he is still leading his club to the top. There is also a small personal revenge after the score of 0 out of 10 received in the AS newspaper after the league match of March 19 lost… in Barcelona.
Everything is going almost for the best for Real Madrid and Karim Benzema, even if Barça is heading straight for the title of Spanish champion with a 12-point lead eleven days before the end. The European champion is still in contention in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and will host Chelsea on April 12 for the first leg. And he will play against Osasuna in the King’s Cup final on May 6. By winning these two trophies, Benzema could get back into the race for a second Ballon d’Or in a row. But Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, thanks to their huge World Cup, have a few steps ahead.