Real Madrid: 5 Most Valuable Players of the last decade
By Parshva Shah
Real Madrid CF Karim Benzema
Another player who has played a crucial role in defining Real Madrid’s recent history is Karim Benzema, who has rather seen his stature as an influential player grow as seasons have passed by.
Signed from Lyon in 2009 as a 21-year-old with immense potential, Benzema has forged a legacy of his own at the Santiago Bernabéu, being the first-choice striker for every manager he has played under during his 11-year (and counting) spell with the club.
One can simply look at his numbers to gauge the greatness of this player. He has scored 249 goals in 513 appearances for Real Madrid, making him the fifth-highest goalscorer for the club. He has also scored 53 goals alone in the UEFA Champions League.
But that’s exactly where it is very easy to delude someone. Being a No. 9, people always think he should be at the top of the goalscoring charts of every competition. It’s a pity people do not understand his game is much more than just scoring goals, and that quality has made him one of the greatest players to ever don the Royal White jersey. Zidane once said that people who criticize Karim Benzema for a lack of goals do not know much about football.
He was a leader in attack alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, and playing under the shadow of arguably the greatest Real Madrid player in history did not intimidate him one bit. Instead, he thrived in Cristiano’s presence, playing the unsung hero and sacrificing a lot to ensure Cristiano scored the goals that the team needed to earn a victory.
Over the seasons, pundits and fans, especially, have started to recognize how important Benzema is. He is the fulcrum of the attack. After Cristiano’s departure to Juventus in 2018, Benzema shouldered the responsibility of scoring goals, netting 30 goals in 2018-19. He was the best player in the team in what was one of the worst seasons in Real Madrid history.
He even led Real Madrid to an unprecedented 34th La Liga title, scoring 21 goals in the league. He has aged like a fine wine and at 32, he is in the form of his life. He still has a few seasons of top football left in him and who knows, he might even surpass Raúl’s figure of 323 goals by the time he leaves the club or decides to call it a day.