Karim Benzema brought up 350 goals in a Real Madrid shirt by scoring a first-half hat-trick in a comfortable win over Almeria in LaLiga on Saturday.
Real were reeling from their 4-2 defeat against Girona on Tuesday, but managed to banish memories of that shock loss. Benzema was at the forefront of their success, scoring their opening three goals at the Bernabeu.
He tapped in the opener from close range after great work from Vinicius Junior, fired in a second thanks to an assist from Rodrygo and completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after Lucas Vasquez was fouled in the area. Almeria pulled goals back through Lazaro and Lucas Robertone, but Rodrygo also netted in the second half to ensure a comfortable win.
As well as victory, Benzema was able to celebrate a historic landmark. The 35-year-old Frenchman has now scored 352 goals for Real in 642 appearances and after the match he was presented with a commemorative shirt by the club president, Florentino Perez.
"Benzema is in good shape and he has shown it,” Real manager Carlo Ancelotti said. "In attack we are very good, we are dangerous. Even while we are well behind [in LaLiga], the team comes out very well in offensive terms."
Benzema has 29 goals in 37 appearances across all competitions this season and is Real’s second all-time top goal scorer, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo, who plundered 451 in a Los Blancos shirt before leaving for Juventus in 2019. However, he has already surpassed legends Raul (323) and Alfredo Di Stefano (308) in the pecking order.
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His form has been exceptional of late, with the three goals against Almeria following hat-tricks against Real Valladolid and Barcelona at the start of the month. That means he has three hat-tricks in eight games – as many as he managed in the previous 120 for the club.
In his post-match press conference, Ancelotti was asked whether Real’s current forward trio of Benzema, Vinicius and Rodrygo bared any resemblance to the devastating combination of Benzema, Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, who helped Los Blancos win four Champions League titles in five seasons between 2014 and 2018.
"It's a good question," he replied. "They are similar in effectiveness and quality, with different characteristics of the players. It's a different trio, but they are both very good. The 2014 trio was very dangerous and the trio now is also very dangerous."
Real are second in LaLiga, 11 points adrift of rivals Barcelona, who beat Real Betis 4-0 on Saturday night. Ancelotti’s side are focused on other competitions, with a Copa del Rey final against Osasuna on the horizon, on May 6, and a Champions League semi-final first leg versus Manchester City on May 9.
