Real Madrid: Grading every forward from the 2020-2021 season

CF Karim Benzema

Now it’s time to talk about the strikers who played significant minutes for the Real Madrid first team this season. For our sanity, let’s move on to a positive in Karim Benzema after discussing a negative in Marco Asensio.

What more superlatives can be said about Benzema? He was the only truly outstanding forward for Los Blancos in 2020-2021, and there’s a case to be made that he was the Player of the Season in LaLiga for the way he carried Real’s attack once more. Without Benz, Real would have stood no chance.

Even in games in which he seems to struggle for most of the 90, Benzema saves the day in the end. He did so in Real’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid at the Wanda, and he did so again with a late goal and assist on the last day of the season vs. Villarreal.

In total, Benzema found the back of the net 30 times in all competitions, scoring the lone penalty he attempted. The vast majority of his goals were from open play, and he was Real’s only real hope from open play. On top of that, he was a creative genius for Los Blancos, assisting nine times to finish second behind maestro Toni Kroos on the team.

Benzema averaged 0.91 goals and assists per 90, meaning he averaged nearly a goal contribution per game on a team that had no regular starters with 0.50 goal contributions per 90. Eden Hazard and Rodrygo Goes were the only other players above that mark, and they combined for nearly 2,000 fewer total minutes than Benzema!

Real Madrid did not rely on a single player more than Big Benz in 2020-2021 – not even Luka Modric, Thibaut Courtois, Casemiro, or Kroos. He is their MVP, and his grade must reflect this fact.

Rating: 9.0