French international Karim Benzema is starting to get the recognition he deserves at Real Madrid, writes DEAN WORKMAN.

Karim Benzema has been at Real Madrid since 2009 but has never really been considered one of their superstars, spending years playing second fiddle.

During The Frenchman’s first nine seasons at the club, the main man was undoubtedly Cristiano Ronaldo. While Benzema always played his role, Ronaldo was the one who grabbed the headlines and adoration from Los Blancos faithful.

The striker admitted he had to adjust his game after the Portuguese star’s departure and told France Football: ‘I wasn’t a deputy. I didn’t say to myself: “Ah, you have to give him the ball all the time”. I was playing well but he was scoring. It’s the truth, you can’t do anything about it.

‘Since he left for Juve, I took over in my way and it’s going well. I don’t play like Cristiano Ronaldo, and he doesn’t play like Karim Benzema. He didn’t stop me from being the best version of myself.

‘We won a lot of games, I had a lot of fun. I won it all with him. The Champions League, many championships, we scored I don’t know how many goals, we were part of the magic trio with Gareth Bale, there were a lot of very good moments and I don’t see many bad ones.’

In their time together, the duo scored 642 goals, Ronaldo grabbed 450 of them while Benzema netted 192 times. The club enjoyed their most successful period in recent history as they won 12 trophies including two La Liga crowns, two Spanish Cups, two Spanish Super Cup, along with three UEFA Super Cup titles and three Fifa Club World Cup trophies.

Benzema was significantly outshone by Ronaldo during that period but since the Portuguese playmaker’s departure the goals have begun to flow for the Frenchman and he surpassed 300 for Real Madrid at the start of the year. ‘301 goals. It’s a proud moment to reach this number at this club, and it makes me happy because it’s the best club in the world’, he told Movistar+.

The 34-year-old is Real Madrid’s fourth-highest goalscorer and has his sights set on chasing down club icon Alfredo Di Stefano in third place (308 goals) and Raul in second on 323. However, he still has some way to go to catch Ronaldo who tops the list with 450 goals.

Benzema’s step up since Ronaldo’s departure has been apparent in the stats as Benzema has scored at least 20 goals per season since Ronaldo swapped Real Madrid for Juventus. The big target man plundered 30 goals in his first season without Ronaldo, while in the 2019-20 season he bagged another 27 goals and 11 assists.

That was followed up with 35 goals and 15 assists last season. A clear rise, season on season, as he grows into the leadership role at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Benzema has been in fine form this term too and is proving instrumental in Real Madrid’s title charge. He has also become an experienced leader in the Madrid dressing room.

Head coach Carlo Ancelotti believes that the Frenchman has developed into the world’s finest forward and has aged like a fine wine. ‘I believe he’s the world’s best attacker because he added great scoring numbers to his great playmaking ability. He can score goals like Cristiano Ronaldo or Erling Haaland now and he makes the difference,’ Ancelotti said.

The Italian mentor believes the former Lyon man has grown into a complete player since his first spell at the club six years before. ‘With Benzema, to just call him a forward is selling him short. He’s a complete player. He has a great personality too. Compared to the player I knew six years ago, he’s much more complete and has much more personality.’

Madrid has been continuously linked to signing Kylian Mbappe and Haaland but with Benzema continuing to fire up front Los Blancos may be wise to enjoy it while it lasts.

Fast Facts:
Full Name: Karim Mostafa Benzema
Date of Birth: 19 December 1987
Place of Birth: Lyon, France
Height: 1.85m
Position: Striker