Almost a decade into his career at Real Madrid, Karim Benzema still has his doubters.
Regularly dismissed and often questioned, dubbed “a tad overrated” and “decent, not great” by Gary Lineker last year, the French forward is actually underrated by most and on Sunday, he produced a masterclass as Santiago Solari’s side beat Espanyol 4-2 in Barcelona.
Benzema opened the scoring at the RCDE Stadium (it is worth noting that many of his goals break the deadlock), added another after a fine run and one-two with Vinicius Junior later on and somehow found space in the area as he was pursued by several defenders in the lead-up to Gareth Bale’s late strike.
The finish for his second goal was a thing of beauty as he curled the ball along the ground past Diego Lopez and into the far corner from a tight angle.
He also could have had a couple of assists, too, setting up Luka Modric for a chance the Croatian should have buried with a wonderful piece of control to beat a defender and a precise pass to leave the midfielder in space. And later, there was a nutmegged ball through a defender’s legs to free Dani Carvajal, the right-back’s shot saved by Lopez again.
“Benzema is a very generous player in his way of understanding football because he always creates space for his team-mates. He makes them better,” coach Santiago Solari said ahead of the game against Espanyol.
And after the 4-2 win, the Argentine said: “One of the journalists told me that Karim means ‘generous’. I spoke ahead of the match about his generosity with his team-mates and also in terms of his effort.
"He played a spectacular match. It’s a joy for madridistas and everyone who loves good football.”
For his first nine seasons at Real, Benzema’s generosity had one principal recipient: Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese always spoke of how he loved playing with the French forward, often considered a domestique for his high-profile team-mate.
But Ronaldo is no longer around and in his absence, Benzema is already forming an understanding with youngster Vinicius Junior.
“It’s chemistry,” Solari said after the 4-2 win over Girona in the Copa del Rey on Thursday. “They understand each other very well, naturally, practically instinctively. Also in training."
Flanked by Vinicius and the hard-working Lucas Vazquez, Benzema’s performance on Sunday was without doubt one of his finest in a Real Madrid shirt and after the game, the Spanish winger said: “He is the best No.9 in the world.”
Strikers are usually judged by goals and that was part of Lineker’s gripe with the French forward. “A goal every other game for a team like Real Madrid is nada especial (nothing special),” he had tweeted.
But that was a failure to understand Benzema’s role at Real and with no Ronaldo around, he may now score more. He has 15 goals in all competitions this term, three more than last season already.
That brace on Sunday took the 31-year-old to 207 goals for Madrid and leaves him tied in joint-sixth with Hugo Sanchez in the list of all-time scorers for Los Blancos, behind only Ferenc Pusakas (242), Santillana (290), Alfredo Di Stefano (308), Raul (323) and Cristiano (450).
Sixth and rising in that list, Benzema also had a big hand in countless goals netted by Ronaldo. With the Portuguese gone, he is leading Los Blancos from the front. He has also lost weight, is working harder defensively, playing more passes (on Sunday he completed 54 out of 58) and is involved in most of his side’s finest football.
“Every game, I want to give more and do special things: score goals, give assists, a bit of everything,” Benzema said on Sunday night. “People call for strikers to score goals, but I believe I’m a No.9 with the spirit of a No.10.”
He is certainly that and with Ronaldo no longer around, the Frenchman is starting to thrive in both roles for Solari. Perhaps it is time to start appreciating him more.
