He just went and did it again. Karim Benzema, nicknamed Big Benz, nicknamed Mr. Dreb, nicknamed the most dangerous striker in world football today. Two goals, including a “cold-blooded” Panenka penalty, kept Real Madrid’s Champions League hopes alive. Benzema’s double against Manchester City has scored 41 goals this season in all competitions.
Read also: Karim Benzema’s best moments with Real Madrid
Ballon D’Or Benzema, sounds right doesn’t it? π# Benzema # Benzemablondor #UCL pic.twitter.com/3EHE2osolB
– FootTheBall FC (FootTheBallFC) April 27 2022
This is the first time the French striker has reached this milestone in his career. Benzema’s performance is different from his peers which made him one of the candidates for the Ballon d’Or award. He was the main reason why Real Madrid won the La Liga title.
There are many aspects of his game that have helped Benzema score many goals, including 14 in the Champions League.
π€© Tweet embed x Tweet embed π€©
π 600 matches
β½ 320 goals
π 20 titles # RealFootball pic.twitter.com/6v57B8rDlA– Real Madrid CF (realmadriden) April 27 2022
He is the top scorer in the competition and many argue that he is delivering the largest single player campaign in its history. These people may be right.
Big Benz Rolling
Karim Benzema has already earned the Champions League Golden Boot this season. This came about due to his explosive nature in the knockout rounds. Benzema scored nine goals in just five matches. All of these contributed to changing the rules of the game.
Hat-trick against Paris Saint-Germain is withdrawn Los Blancos return from death. A hat-trick against Chelsea in the first leg helped them make a solid progress.
π€― Tweet embed In his last two years @Champions League Knockout games:
β½οΈ 61′ against PSG
β½οΈ 76′ against PSG
β½οΈ 78′ against PSGβ½οΈ 21′ vs Chelsea
β½οΈ 24′ against Chelsea
β½οΈ 46′ vs Chelseaβ½οΈ 96′ against Chelsea
π Another hat-trick on us? π«π· pic.twitter.com/fa2vHrgEeS
– SPORF (Sporf) 26 April 2022
Moreover, his goal in extra time in the second leg helped qualify for Real Madrid. Benzema was a danger to every opponent. Manchester City would have been comfortable with a two-goal lead but Pep Guardiola was not happy.
It was clear from the Catalan phrases that City should have eliminated their chances. It is Benzema’s current form that enables him to score at any time and turn the tie on its head.
Karim Benzema will have the chance to knock out Manchester City at the newly renovated Santiago Bernabeu
5 – After a hat-trick at Chelsea and a double tonight against Man City, Karim Benzema is the first player in Champions League history to score up to five away goals in the knockout stages against clubs from one country in a single season. silly. pic.twitter.com/o1IdhlwbEI
– OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) 26 April 2022
Therefore, it was not surprising when he scored the first goal for Real Madrid to cut the difference in half. And he returned in the second half to penalize City with one of the best penalties ever.
The opposing defenses had no answers for the 34-year-old. Carlo Ancelotti’s dependence on his captain is becoming more and more apparent. Fortunately for him, Benzema rises to the occasion every time his team needs a saviour.
comprehensive risk
What makes Karim Benzema such a difficult proposition is its evolution into a complete package. Therefore, Real Madrid feel more comfortable having Benzema at times as a playmaker. He drops deep, ties in play, and spreads passes wide for his fellow attacking players. Benzema’s full arsenal was on display at the Etihad Stadium once again.
π Despite Manchester City completing 541 passes, no one made more key passes than Karim Benzema last night. #UCL The semi-finals.
He’s also been a guy in our coms traffic with a rating of 8.88 by FotMob. pic.twitter.com/yDDbP70EHs
– FotMob (FotMob) April 27 2022
He was constantly pressing Ederson into the net, resulting in the Brazilian’s passing accuracy of just 77%. Benzema perfected this technique which paid off against Gianluigi Donnarumma and Edward Mendy.
Vinicius Jr. has been his best buddy, with the duo coming together to deadly effect throughout the season. Benzema has provided 12 assists in all competitions, his best production ever.
π Vinicius Junior: βThere are no words to describe how my brother Benzema plays. I hope he ends up winning: La Liga, Champions League and Ballon d’Or.β #UCL pic.twitter.com/lIJSb1v0PL
– Football Tweet β½ξ¨ (Football__Tweet) 26 April 2022
Moreover, Benzema can also drop to the wings by himself allowing the faster attackers to run through the middle. This kind of improvement in his game has helped Madrid beat brave opponents all season long. In the games he missed, Ancelotti’s side struggled to smash defenses.
π€― “Benzema opened his body, I thought Ederson was going in the right direction… your religion!”
π “Benzema’s first goal is magic! He pushed the ball towards the goal.”
π “It’s a great goal!”
Ali McQuest Banenka praises Benzema and his other goal #RMA against #MCFC. βͺοΈ pic.twitter.com/IBvmUdeS2V
– talkSPORT (talkSPORT) April 27 2022
Therefore, it is clear that Real Madrid needs his talisman at full capacity, which Benzema proves.
Best season ever?
The overarching question: Is Karim Benzema’s current Champions League season the best in the tournament’s history? There is certainly merit to this debate because the impact of Benzema has been truly amazing. He surpassed Lionel Messi with the most goals scored in the semi-final stage.
Karim Benzema did a great campaign at Euro 2020 personally and could thrive in the Qatar World Cup
π€― Karim Benzema has now scored Lionel Messi’s greatest goals ever #UCL Campaign with 14 goals! π₯ pic.twitter.com/BacAJkk7Yl
– SPORF (Sporf) 26 April 2022
Moreover, Benzema is only three goals behind the top scorer tally in a season. It was set by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013-14. Benzema is also the first player since Ronaldo himself to score nine times in the knockout stages.
So, are the experts right? Well, there were three top scorers who could match Benzema’s production.
Karim Benzema. Ice in his veins π₯Ά
He missed two penalties in one match against Osasuna. Then he moves away from his next match against Manchester City.
π .
πΈ: @Champions League#OptusSport pic.twitter.com/t0st3XbxZT
– Optus Sport (OptusSport) April 27 2022
Robert Lewandowski, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi all have experts in their teams. Lewandowski scored 15 goals in the 2019-20 season to lead Bayern Munich to the crown. Ronaldo’s incredible goal scoring saw him crack his 10+ goal marks seven times.
Messi is not far off with five such cases. Their best season ended with Real Madrid and Barcelona winning the title, respectively.
Most goals in a single Champions League season:
β½οΈ1β£7β£ Cristiano Ronaldo (2013/14)
β½οΈ1β£6β£ Cristiano Ronaldo (2015/2016)
β½οΈ1β£5β£ Cristiano Ronaldo (2017/18)
β½οΈ1β£5β£ Robert Lewandowski (2019/20)
β½οΈ1β£4β£ Lionel Messi (2011/12)
β½οΈ1β£4β£ Karim Benzema (2021/22)#UCL pic.twitter.com/Lodal8irKCUEFA Champions League 26 April 2022
However, Benzema’s supremacy at the front is his unique importance in the current team. This Madrid team is a young attacking team with an aging midfield. He’s never been up front in this way the team can count.
Conclusion
Karim Benzema was unreal for the game in the Champions League. It was his urgent work and sharp passes that led to Real Madrid’s comeback against Paris Saint-Germain. Benzema was uncontrollable against Chelsea and scored two world-class goals.
City thought the match was in the bag, but Benzema appeared.
Karim Benzema is the favorite to win the Ballon d’Or.
39 goals (30.56 x a) and 12 assists (10.38 x a) in 39 games this season. pic.twitter.com/hRIkNfCkEO
– Sporting Life Football & Infogol (InfogolApp) April 27 2022
So, it’s not hard to see why he received the Golden Ball shout out. If Real Madrid manage to win the competition, there is no doubt that Benzema will become the most deserving candidate.