Real Madrid: Karim Benzema deserves to be playing alongside Kylian Mbappe

Karim Benzema has done it all by himself in the past three seasons at Real Madrid with little to no support from his attacking teammates. The 33-year-old Frenchman has scored 81 goals in all competitions since 2018 and has carried the frontline in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Benzema has always had the luxury of having world-class forwards to support him during his tenure at Real Madrid in the likes of Angel Di Maria, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale to name a few. However, he has not enjoyed this same luxury for the past three years.

The 33-year-old has been the club’s only reliable source of goals from the frontline while the likes of Casemiro and Sergio Ramos have stepped up over the two seasons in the goal-scoring department.

Since Casemiro and Ramos are Real’s next go-to options after Benzema to find the back of the net, it simply proves there is something fundamentally wrong with the club. Either it is the system under Zinedine Zidane that is holding back other forwards from penetrating towards goal, or they are just simply underperforming.

So what should Real Madrid do to help support Benzema?

Irrespective of whether it is a tactical issue from Zinedine Zidane or just the other forwards underperforming, Karim Benzema certainly requires more support in the attack.  The signing of Kylian Mbappe might be the missing piece for Real to overcome their goal-scoring issues.

The 22-year-old has scored 40+ goals in all competitions this season for Paris Saint-Germain while playing through the wings. His potency in front of goal and clinical finishing ability is a quality that the wingers at Real Madrid have lacked.

If Mbappe does end up signing this summer, the burden of being the only reliant goal-scorer will be taken off Karim Benzema’s shoulders. Benzema, is 33-years-old, and it is true that he has enjoyed three glorious years in terms of individual success, however, there is no certainty that he could be firing all cylinders next season. Age catches up and fatigue is another huge factor, Benzema simply cannot keep carrying the team.

The 33-year-old is known to bring the best out of people as he has done so with Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo from 2013 to 2018.  Benzema could possibly bring out the best in Mbappe if they two play alongside each other at Real Madrid next season.

The French duo will be playing together for the first time in their career this season after Karim Benzema was included in Didier Deschamps Euro 2020 squad.  It would be like a preseason tour for them if they get along together in the attack before they possibly reunite at Real Madrid. The 33-year-old already has no doubts that his partnership with Mbappe will thrive and cause chaos for defenders in the upcoming Euros. 

For all his contribution towards the club over the years, Benzema deserves to play alongside Kylian Mbappe before he either retires or leaves the club. The 33-year-old is on a contract until 2022 with Real Madrid and will be entering his final season soon.