When Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid – there was one big question posed, how on earth will Karim Benzema and Co. step up? Who would take the reins of the Portuguese?
All eyes fell on the club record signing, Gareth Bale. The £85 million star, finally his moment to shine has arrived, now he can take the mantle! Who would have thought that by January that our shining star would not be the Welshman but instead it would be the man only managed a measly 5 La Liga goals last season – Karim Benzema.
Many wrote the Frenchman off before the campaign began, myself included. Despite showing moments of brilliance in recent years, it seemed he was declining. Often missing easy goal-scoring chances and overdoing it with his link-up play, Benzema this season has shown all those doubters that he is not done and dead yet.
Labeled “a tad overrated and decent but not great” by Gary Lineker last year, the striker has been one of the go-to men for Real this season and especially as of late.
Rediscovering his goal-scoring touch, the striker has scored nine and assisted two in La Liga, the highest in the team, he has three goals in six appearances in the UEFA Champions League as well as two in three Copa Del Rey appearances.
However, these numbers are just mere numbers. It has been the performances that are truly standing out, highlighted in his demolition of Espanyol as Madrid ran out 4-2 winners.
The striker opened the scoring for his side as he found space in the box to slot home after an amazing run from Luka Modric. Throughout the game, he proved to be an absolute thorn in the side of Espanyol. He completed five dribbles, five key passes, rattled off four shots and he scored two goals, his second being a simple yet gorgeous side-footed effort.
He could have easily bagged a couple of assists also, a perfectly weighted ball too Modric and a nutmegged pass for Dani Carvajal were particular highlights. The forward’s numbers throughout the season have been consistent, 1.1 dribbles per game – the 7th highest in the squad, 1.5 key passes per game, the 5th highest in the squad, 2.7 shots per game – second only to Gareth Bale.
The striker has been lauded by his teammates and coaches – Solari was emphatically praising his generosity and work-rate. Vasquez called him the best striker in the world etc. However, it is not just his on-the-field ways that are helpful to the team. The striker has taken youngsters like Vinicius Jr under his wing and in-turn this has seen the two show strong chemistry. His leadership is becoming ever-present.
Strikers are always judged based on their goal-scoring output. This is something many have criticized the French player for, however, the game against Espanyol showed just how much more he has in his locker.
He ghosted like a midfielder and finished like an attacker – to describe it? The man himself states “he is a number 9 with the spirit of a number 10” as seen against Espanyol and numerous other times. He does not slack in scoring however, he may not get a goal a game but he is now the 6th highest scorer in the clubs history.
15 goals, 6 assists and he has created 40 goal-scoring chances this season. Perhaps it is time to appreciate the all-around game of our striker, for without him, where would Madrid be now?