Manchester City narrowly overcame Real Madrid 4-3 in one of the all-time great Champions League clashes on Wednesday night as the two sides met in the first leg of their semi-final tie.
The hosts started the game ferociously and steamed to a 2-0 lead inside the opening 15 minutes of the game. Madrid weathered out the heavy City pressure though and pulled themselves back into the game thanks to a superbly finished strike from Karim Benzema just past the half-hour mark. That was his 13th Champions League goal of the campaign.
Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Vinicius Jr all got on the scoresheet before Benzema grabbed his 14th in the competition with just eight minutes to go courtesy of a stunning chipped Panenka penalty.
That goal took his tally across all competitions this season to a remarkable 41, while the Frenchman boasts another ten assists on top of that, shedding light on why many now consider him to be the most complete forward in the world.
Although Benzema has been considered one of Europe’s top forwards for much of his 13 years in Madrid, it’s only in recent seasons that his brilliance has truly been lauded, and many put this down to Cristiano Ronaldo ’s departure from the Spanish capital in 2018.
Ronaldo was the face of Madrid, their crown jewel and revered talisman. The team revolved around getting the best from him, meaning the likes of Benzema were often forced to play deferred roles in the team.
In the Portuguese star’s final campaign at the Santiago Bernabeu, then manager Zinedine Zidane often lined his side up in a variation of a 4-4-2, with Benzema expected to be a facilitator rather than a goal-getter. He finished the campaign with just five league goals, but ten assists.
That proved to be the last campaign in which Benzema assisted more goals than he scored. The following season with no Ronaldo, Benzema was promoted to Madrid’s main focal point in attack, with the team’s structure adjusted to formations that optimised the Frenchman’s goalscoring capabilities.
In the 2018/19 season, Benzema netted 21 league goals. He achieved the same total in the next season and scored two more than that in the season after. While his tally of 25 in this campaign - with five games still to go - is his best return since joining Madrid back in 2009.
Although a large portion of Benzema’s recent success can be attributed to Ronaldo’s departure, it’s not the sole reason for his growth, and Madrid’s focus on elevating Benzema’s importance has coincided with his own personal drive to be better.
There’s no doubt that his technical ability, particularly in areas like his finishing and link-up play has improved, however, just as crucial has been the development of his intelligence on the pitch.
His decision making is better and his movements are more erudite. Despite a greater focus from opponents than ever on trying to stop him, it’s remarkable that he's currently managing to average more penalty box touches than in any other previous season (7.9 per 90).
This aspect of his game has also been crucial for his teammates too. Although Benzema is no longer expected to be the facilitator he once was, his movement when dropping into deeper areas often pulls defenders with him and creates openings for wide forwards like Marco Asensio and Vinicius to exploit.
He’s a big reason why, despite playing predominantly out wide, both players boast a combined 29 goals between them across all competitions so far.
Benzema has hit new heights in recent years and shows no signs of slowing down, even at 34. He warrants a large portion of the credit for the success Madrid will enjoy between now and the end of the campaign, and it’s only right that he’s now firmly in the conversation to be considered one of the best players currently in world football.
