Karim Benzema closing in on THIS unique Champions League record for Real Madrid

While he doesn’t attract as much attention as some of his contemporaries, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has continued to write his name into the UEFA Champions League. Benzema is on the cusp of going past Real legend Raul Gonzalez’s tally of 71 goals. He can break the record when Chelsea and Real Madrid meet for the second leg of the semi-final on May 5.

Karim Benzema continues to make history at Real Madrid. The forward is the highest-scoring Frenchman of all time in the European Cup. He is also the fourth-highest goal scorer in the Champions League era tied along with Raul.

The French striker volleyed home from close range in the 29th minute to level the score at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. Therefore, he further etched his name into the annals of greatness in European football.

What next for Karim Benzema?

Benzema and Raul were team-mates for just one season in Madrid, with the former bagging nine goals in all competitions to his captain’s seven in 2009/10.

Raul left for Schalke during summer 2010, having scored 66 goals in his 132 UEFA Champions League appearances for the club. This was a club record Cristiano Ronaldo then went on to break in 2015.

The Frenchman’s next challenge may be to see whether he can overtake Robert Lewandowski (73 goals) to move up to third on the list. With six goals this season, the Real Madrid ace is closing in on his best seasonal haul for the UEFA Champions League: he netted a personal-best seven in the 2011/12 campaign.

Now 33, Benzema scored for Lyon on his UEFA Champions League debut. He left France for Madrid in 2009 (the same summer that Cristiano Ronaldo joined the Los Blancos), and has maintained his record of scoring at least one UEFA Champions League goal a season for 16 campaigns. It’s a record he shares with Lionel Messi.