Real Madrid: Five most underrated players in the club’s history
Real Madrid is a club known for the superstars they house in their squad. Starting from names like Raul, Zidane, and Ronaldo, the club has always boasted about the range of players they have. Therefore, at times some vital players get overshadowed by the big names though their contributions remain as vital as any other on the pitch. Here are five such players, who have been the most underrated ones in the club’s history.
5. Karim Benzema
The Frenchman, Karim Benzema was signed by Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 alongside his partner in crime (to be) Cristiano Ronaldo. Throughout his early days at Madrid, the 21-year-old was underrated and under-estimated by the team management as well as the fans.
He transitioned to the number 9 only after Jose Mourinho took over from Manual Pellegrini as the head coach. Both of them preferred Gonzalo Higuain to start over Benz. It was after the Argentine had suffered a back injury that Benz found his place in the starting XI.
He found back his scoring boots. The former Olympique Lyonnais man found the net against Ajax, Mallorca, and Sevilla. His display in the 2010-11 season also featured two hat-tricks against Levante and Auxerre. He ended the season with 26 goals by his name, second to only the Portuguese superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo. And, that was the inception story of one of the best CFs that Real Madrid would ever have.
Benzema’s greatness wasn’t visible primarily because he lost to the grandeur that Cristiano Ronaldo brought with himself to the Bernabeu. He was a talented Manchester United forward, a talent scouted by Sir Alex Ferguson himself. How would a 21-year-old boy playing for a humble French club compete to that?
It was only after the departure of Ronaldo, that Benzema’s importance was heightened in the views of their fans. At the moment, there is no other player in the squad that can replace the 33-year-old on the front line. He has become the most important forward for Los Blancos and already has 23 goals in the current season, per Whoscored.