Karim Benzema has netted two hat-tricks in the Champions League this season – and needs another to break Cristiano Ronaldo’s single-season goal-scoring record in the competition.
But Saturday night at the Stade de France is just the first of three big dates for the Real Madrid star in the French capital this year. Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane will have to produce some stunning performances to prevent the striker, 34, claiming the Ballon d’Or, which will be presented in Paris on October 17.
Before that, he will face a court case on June 30 to appeal against a one-year suspended sentence and €75,000 fine imposed in November for his “complicity” in the attempted blackmail of former France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena.
