5 reasons why Real Madrid are among the 2021/22 Champions League title contenders

Real Madrid are no longer a team built that is dependent on one man

Real Madrid had a star-studded team that won the Champions League for a record three consecutive seasons. The face of the club was the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo, who was the man for the big nights. There was a sense of overreliance on the Portuguese, which was popularly called Ronaldependence. But it wasn’t a one-man team, and there were others who stepped up to win the trophy. When Ronaldo couldn’t score against the likes of Bayern Munich and Liverpool in the knockouts of the 2017/18 season, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale were there to win the semifinals and the finals for Real Madrid.

But after Cristiano’s departure, Real Madrid really became a one-man team in attack, as Karim Benzema was the only one who was capable of producing the goods for Real Madrid in a lot of games. Even Gareth Bale had declined a lot, and there was practically no support for the Frenchman in the attack.

But this season, Benzema has proper support in attack, as he has found his ideal attacking partner in Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian has shown great improvement in his performance, and he has been able to be consistent for the team in attack. Even the numbers show the same, with Karim Benzema having 17 goals and 7 assists while the 21-year-old has 12 goals and 5 assists in all competitions this season. This just shows how important Vinicius has been to the team, as he has proved that the team can rely on him when Benzema is having an off game. They have also developed excellent chemistry with each other, which has been very crucial for the club.

It is important to have quality in all three departments for a team to win the Champions League, but all the quality shouldn’t be found in just one player. It is a team game at the end of the day, and only teamwork can set a team on the path to success.