Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema scored 21 goals in La Liga last season, but can he entrench himself as the league’s MVP in 2020-2021?
Although Casemiro, Sergio Ramos, Thibaut Courtois, Ferland Mendy, Toni Kroos, and others had tremendous 2019-2020 seasons for Real Madrid, nobody made more of an impact on the team’s success as La Liga champions than Karim Benzema.
The No. 9 was the team’s leading goal-scorer with 21 goals and also led the way with eight assists. He was the creator, the man for the moment. Whenever Real Madrid need a big goal, Benzema was there to step up. Even when they needed a winning assist, such as the genius backheel for Casemiro, Benzema was there.
His game cannot be summed up in goals and assists, but the basic statistics are an indication of Benzema’s value to Los Blancos in the final third. Without Benzema, Real Madrid’s attack would have been in shambles; he was carrying the front three from a production and leadership standpoint.
The 32-year-old isn’t the best player in La Liga. That honor belongs to Lionel Messi, who scored more than 20 goals and had more than 20 assists as the leader in both categories. Without Messi, Barcelona would have went from second-place to embarrassment.
Karim Benzema vs. Lionel Messi will be the main battle
But since Benzema played for the better side, he may have offered Real Madrid more value and was money against top clubs. He scored winning goals against sides like Atletico Madrid and Sevilla, for example.
Benzema’s main competition to be recognized as the best player in La Liga comes from Messi, whose Barcelona side is in flux, shall we say. But Benzema has other competitors. On his own team, Ramos, Eden Hazard, and even young players like Vinicius Junior can be in the conversation. Elsewhere, Lucas Ocampos of Sevilla is a legitimate breakout star. Joao Felix could be at Atletico Madrid if they can figure out how to unlock his potential.
La Liga is a highly competitive league with so much great talent, yet the conversation, once again, will likely rest on Benzema and Messi. And in a year where Barcelona may suffer more setbacks while Benzema could benefit from the growth of young stars like Martin Odegaard and Rodrygo Goes, Benz could make the bigger impact on Spanish football in 2020-2021.
If anyone from Real Madrid is to be crowned as La Liga’s best player at the end of the season, then Benzema is the favorite to be that player. Hazard shouldn’t be counted out if he is healthy, but Benzema is tried and true. Most importantly, Benzema is crucial. Without him, Real aren’t one of the elite sides in Europe. He is the man that provides decisive moments and results.