Real Madrid: Stop talking about how to replace Karim Benzema

Real Madrid star striker Karim Benzema drew criticism from fans in the second half of the season for failing to score enough goals, but now is not the time to call for his replacement.

When discussing Karim Benzema, it is important to discuss all aspects of the situation. Firstly, yes, Real Madrid need more goals. And secondly, Benzema did not provide nearly enough of them after the middle of December.

But to place all the blame on Benzema would be short-sighted and unfair. Benzema, after all, was Real’s best attacking player in the first half of the season. In fact, he was neck-and-neck with Lionel Messi as La Liga’s best overall attacking player during that period, which speaks volumes to how important he was to Real Madrid.

Los Blancos are still in search of the best way to replace Cristiano Ronaldo after his departure in 2018, and their dream target is a player capable of scoring 40 goals in a season as a wide forward. That player is Kylian Mbappe. And their secondary options, such as Jadon Sancho and Sadio Mane, are also highly-capable scoring wide forwards.

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Real Madrid, of course, purchased such a player for over 100 million euros in the summer of 2019. And when he was healthy, Eden Hazard looked like the most talented player on the team.

Unfortunately, Hazard suffered two significant injuries, so he could only feature in 15 games across all competitions.

Replacing Karim Benzema isn’t the answer. In Benzema, Real have the most well-rounded striker in world football.

Nobody can provide the same creative influence Benzema can, and if Los Blancos purchase a scoring wide forward like Sancho or Mane, they will benefit greatly from Benz. For example, look at how much Roberto Firmino helps Mane at Liverpool.

If Real were to replace Benzema, they would be spending a significant chunk of cash on a veteran striker like Mauro Icardi who has question marks of his own. Erling Haaland is unlikely to be available, so the likes of Icardi are more realistic options.

As talented as Icardi is, can he really be called an upgrade over Benzema? Perhaps he’s a better finisher and more of a true No. 9, but if Real want to maximize their goal-scoring potential by signing wide forwards who can grab goals, getting a true No. 9 may not be the best idea.

Los Blancos are in a state of transition. Most of their signings are young players like Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Reinier Jesus, and Luka Jovic who can, hopefully, help the team over the long term. But because Real are targeting so many young players, they need to keep a veteran core of players who are still playing at a high level that can ease this transition and help young talents.

You know, players like Benzema. Just ask Vinicius Junior how helpful Benzema is to the young attackers.

Benzema suffered from a slump in the second half of the season, but his issues were symptomatic of larger issues in Real’s attack. And the most fundamental issue is this: Real Madrid, despite being competitive last season due to Zinedine Zidane‘s brilliance and a world-class defense, are in a state of transition. They are not rebuilding, no. They are too good for that. But they are still trying to piece together their next world-class attack, developing players like Vinicius and Rodrygo while trying to add one more superstar to pair with a healthy Hazard.

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Mbappe, Mane, Sancho, and even Leroy Sane are possible options. Replacing Benzema with another veteran striker, essentially giving up on a 60 million euro investment in Jovic, and hurting team cohesion for a modest upgrade in front of goal? That doesn’t sound like a solution. That sounds like a panic move and a step backward.

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