Karim Benzema has become just the second player not named Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d'Or since 2007.
The forward scored a remarkable 27 goals in 32 league games along with 15 in 12 Champions League matches last season, also assisting 14 times. Three of those goals came against Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the competition, where he almost single handedly ended the tie at Stamford Bridge.
Benzema, 34, has blossomed throughout his career but gained the true spotlight when Ronaldo left Los Blancos in 2018. Since then he has scored 136 goals for the club and demonstrated the individual skill that Premier League clubs have been desperate to sign for years.
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Arsenal were keen on him during Arsene Wenger's time in north London and Chelsea themselves held interest, albeit more speculatively than actual formal attraction. With his record it's unsurprising, and earlier this year when Benzema was the front-man that Thomas Tuchel's side needed to stop in order to progress past the Spanish giants, the boss at the time admitted his admiration.
When asked which Real Madrid player he would like to sign from Carlo Ancelotti's team, Tuchel said: "Instead of being boring and always saying 'I will not say who', one particular name I gave all the praise to is Karim Benzema.
"Two years ago he was one of the most under-rated players in world football, but maybe not anymore, which he absolutely deserves. He plays as a number nine for Real Madrid for so many years, that speaks for itself. What he did in the last stage for them, how he carried responsibility, and the key part he plays as a captain now, is very impressive."
Benzema was part of Zinedine Zidane's team that lost to Chelsea in the semi-finals the year earlier but had very different fortunes at SW6, scoring a hat-trick there in a 3-1 win. He wasn't on the score sheet in the dramatic second-leg extra time victory, but maybe if Tuchel had his way and was able to sign Benzema, Chelsea may have progressed.
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