With Real Madrid, and the France team, Karim Benzema set out to chase all records. This season, the French striker is making history a little more.
At 34, the captain of Real Madrid seems to find a second youth. He is already having his most prolific season. “Karim Benzema improves every day like good wine . He is more and more a leader in the team, in the group and I think that is the biggest difference. He shows his personality more, he knows that he is very important to us and he is an example for all“, explained Carlo Ancelotti, after the victory of Real Madrid at Chelsea (1-3) in the quarter-final, first leg of the Champions League, this Wednesday. Comments also made by Rudi Garcia, who commented on the match for Canal+during the meeting.
Author of a hat-trick against Chelsea, and again Real Madrid’s only scorer in a Champions League match, Karim Benzema returned to his XXL performance at the microphone of RMC Sport. «These are all important goals. I’m happier to have put the third, because I missed one in the first period, and I was still thinking about this missed opportunity. We will do everything to win the return match which will be very important.»
Discover the crazy numbers of the K Benzema season.
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3066: in Ancelotti’s Top 5
It’s no secret. Karim Benzema is more than ever the leader of Real Madrid. With 3066 minutes played, in 36 games this season, in the Casa Blanca jersey, he is the 5th most used outfield player by Carlo Ancelotti. Only Eder Militao, David Alaba, Vinicius and Casemiro have more playing time this season. Thibaut Courtois, with 3810 minutes, remains the most used player. But especially when Benzema plays, Benzema holds. This season, he has started 36 games with Real out of the… 36 games played at club level, systematically wearing the armband. But for the French striker, it is above all an average of 85 minutes played per game. Irreplaceable.
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11: a record season in the Champions League
Against Chelsea, the French striker scored his 9th, 10th and 11th goals of the season in the Champions League. It’s very simple: no French player has ever done so well. We have to go back to the season… 1958/1959 and Just Fontaine’s 10 goals in C1. In the European Cup, the number 9 of Real also remains on two consecutive hat-tricks. A successful performance only by three players in history before him, including some Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese still holds the record for goals in a single European campaign, with 17 in the 2013/2014 season. Karim Benzema, if he continues at this pace, and Real qualify for the next round, could come and tickle this record. The Frenchman also became the only player in history to score his team’s five goals in a row in C1. It is now six. Oops.
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415: the most prolific French goalscorer
With such a season, Karim Benzema has quite simply become the most prolific French striker in history. 418 goals scored in his entire career, clubs and selections combined. All in 839 games. A record that the player trained at OL has officially held since March 14, surpassing Thierry Henry and his 411 achievements. Karim Benzema has planted 66 times in 148 games with OL. 316 goals in 595 games with the Merengue and 36 pawns in 94 selections (goals and matches in youth selections are not counted in this record). Add to all that 204 assists and you have a complete Karim Benzema.
11/13, a return to thunderous blue
Benzegaol is finally back in the France team. Shortly before the Euro, Didier Deschamps called him back to compete in European competition. Here too, Karim Benzema was stratospheric. The striker has played 13 of the 15 games played by the Blues for a year and a friendly match against Wales on June 2. Called during the last rally, the Merengue finally forfeited. Of the 13 games played, the Real striker only started two on the bench, against Ukraine and Finland in the World Cup qualifiers. But before that, the 34-year-old had made a comeback during the Euro. Leader of the attack of the Blues, he had scored four goals, the best total for a Frenchman. He scored twice against Portugal, before a second against Switzerland in the round of 16. In total, it’s nine goals and two assists in less than a year with the France team.
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Chasing all records
But what is he left to look for? The former Olympique Lyonnais player can now try to break new records. With 82 goals in the Champions League, he approaches Robert Lewandowski (85 achievements) and could take the place of the Pole on the podium of the best scorers in history in C1. Karim Benzema has scored 17 consecutive seasons in this competition. Only Lionel Messi does as well. With Real Madrid, the Frenchman now has 316 goals, already placing him on the podium of the top scorers in the history of the capital club. The player at the club since 2009 has Raul especially in his sights. The former La Roja striker has only a seven-goal lead (323 in total) over that of the Blues. At this rate, Karim Benzema should overtake him by the end of the season and settle comfortably in second place. On the other hand, it will be difficult to reach Cristiano Ronaldo (450 goals with Casa Blanca). In the France team, the former OL striker has planted 36 times now. He is in the Top 5 of the best directors in the striking Le Coq jersey and is getting closer to Michel Platini (41 goals). If he were to take this fourth place, there will therefore be three active players chasing Thierry Henry. “Titi” is installed at the top with 51 goals, ahead of Olivier Giroud (48) and Antoine Griezmann (42). Maybe all these records could (finally) bring Karim Benzema to the Ballon d’Or.
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