Real Madrid: Ranking the top 10 players before 2019-2020 resumes

7. Real Madrid CF Karim Benzema

Center forward Karim Benzema isn’t one of the world’s best goal-scoring strikers, but he is one of the world’s best No. 9’s due to his overall game. Nobody creates chances for others quite like Real Madrid’s No. 9, as Benzema can drift wide to set up teammates with his world-class dribbling ability and precise passing.

A wonderful technical player who will always work his hardest to press and recover the ball back for his team, Benzema has always embodied what it means to be a Madridista on the pitch. He’s even played a key role in developing young forwards Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes, who are clearly the future of Real Madrid.

Benzema was Real’s most impressive player in the first half of the season, and while the quality of his play and the quantity of his goals slipped in the season’s second half, the overworked striker was still one of Real’s crucial players. Whenever the club needs a big goal, Benz is there to provide the goods.

At 32, Benzema’s days as a starter at Real Madrid are numbered, but he remains a key player for Los Blancos. When he and Eden Hazard are on the pitch together, other teams know they are in for a long day. Just ask Martin Odegaard’s Real Sociedad.