Karim Benzema news: Out of Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadows, the Frenchman is finally receiving the plaudits he deserves

For way too long, Karim Benzema was in the shadow of a certain world superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo. The Frenchman was signed in the same year (2009) as Ronaldo by Real Madrid. Since then all the media attention was on the Portuguese frontman. To Ronaldo’s credit, he kept delivering season after season. In that period Real Madrid won numerous titles, including four Champions League crowns. Three of those European crowns came on the bounce. Cristiano Ronaldo got all the praise, media attention, and awards. But, it will be harsh to say that Ronaldo had single-handedly lifted the team to success.

The Spanish giants had fantastic managers, a solid backline, word-class midfielders, and a fluid attacking unit. Even though Ronaldo got most of the goals, Benzema’s contribution to the team’s success cannot be undermined. The French forward played a major role in maintaining his team’s attacking supremacy. Benzema’s tireless work rate with and without the ball played an important part in Ronaldo getting his goals. Now that Ronaldo is no longer at the Santiago Bernabeu, Benzema is finally receiving the recognition he deserves.

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What took so long for Benzema’s efforts to be recognised?

It was not like Karim Benzema was a late bloomer, he already had the necessary tools to be successful when he arrived in Spain. However, he found himself being part of a group of galacticos, none more so than his forward partner Cristiano Ronaldo. It goes without saying that Ronaldo is arguably one of the world’s best footballers and also one of the most followed sports players globally. His popularity is beyond comparison.

Cristiano Ronaldo has more followers than many football teams on social media and rightly so! There were times when Ronaldo has scored more goals in a season than many football teams have managed that campaign. This meant that most of the focus was on Ronaldo at Real Madrid than any other player. Benzema was one of those players who went unnoticed as they were surrounded by Ronaldo’s hugely popular figure.

Benzema made a lot of sacrifices when Ronaldo was there at Bernabeu. The Frenchman’s tireless work rate helped create a good bond between the two frontmen. Normally Ronaldo used to start on the left, while Benzema used to play down the middle as a No.9. But, they were extremely fluid in possession, with the Frenchman dropping back or drifting wide to allow the Portuguese star to run into empty spaces for goals. 

Not many experts nor fans gave Benzema the credit for his team work. Despite being a striker, the Frenchman was prepared to sacrifice his goals to help his attacking partner get all the glory. Even though his teammates and coaches noticed this trait of Benzema, he was rarely given the media attention which Ronaldo got. But it has all changed in recent years.

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Karim Benzema is enjoying the time of his life

After Cristiano Ronaldo departed for Juventus in 2018, Karim Benzema slowly started to get the plaudits that were long pending. In these four seasons, Benzema has been consistently scoring around 30 goals in all competitions for his club, helping them win domestic titles and go deep in the Champions League.

Benzema has really come to life this season, particularly in the Champions League. Till now, the Frenchman has scored 37 goals from just 36 games in all competitions. He has 24 in La Liga and 11 in the European competition. Besides, Benzema has 13 assists this season, thereby he has directly contributed 50 goals for his team till now. Most of his Champions League goals came in the last two matches.

In the last-16 clash, Real Madrid were outplayed for nearly three halves by Paris Saint-Germain. However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side produced a famous comeback in the second half of the second leg to knock out the French giants, largely thanks to Benzema’s hat-trick. He followed it up with another hat-trick in the first leg of the quarterfinal tie against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. As a result of his treble, Real Madrid have a healthy 3-1 lead going into Spain for the second leg. 

It is too early to talk about the Ballon d’Or but for this year, Benzema will undoubtedly be a strong contender. The time of Ronaldo and Messi being the favourites for the coveted trophy is set to end. Robert Lewandowski and Mohamed Salah were in the hot seat for the individual award but the last two Champions League matches may have swung the balance in Benzema’s favour. And not many can argue against it!